160,000 cars on roads without valid motor insurance

There are more than 160,000 uninsured cars on Irish roads, accounting for more than one out of every 13 private vehicles.

The issue is becoming more prevalent, with the numbers increasing by almost 14,000 since 2018.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), the body which compensates people injured by uninsured drivers, say the figures demonstrate the need for greater use of automatic number plate recognition and a motor insurance database to identify uninsured vehicles.

At the end of 2019 there were 164,773 uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads, 13,863 more than at the end of 2018. Uninsured vehicles account for 7.58% of the 2.2 million private vehicle fleet in use in Ireland. This means one in every 13 private vehicles on Irish roads is uninsured, according to MIBI.

All vehicles on Irish roads are required by law to hold valid motor insurance. Any vehicle found without valid insurance can be seized on the spot by gardaí, with the driver facing severe penalties including an automatic court appearance, five penalty points and a substantial fine. In addition, in the case of accidents involving uninsured drivers, MIBI will pursue the driver for costs, with the average cost in such an accident exceeding €50,000.

MIBI received more than 2,500 claims in 2019, 70% of which were related to uninsured drivers.

David Fitzgerald, chief executive of MIBI, said the number of uninsured cars emphasises the need for the urgent implementation of the Motor Third Party Liability (MTPL) insurance database to support the automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR), which allows gardaí to identify uninsured vehicles by scanning their license plate. MIBI is working with An Garda Síochána, Insurance Ireland, insurance companies and the Government to implement this system.

"These latest numbers show the problem of uninsured driving has grown significantly over the last few years," Mr Fitzgerald said.

"A jump of almost 14,000 uninsured vehicles in a single year is a statistic that should worry every single Irish road user. Uninsured drivers are a threat to road safety for the law abiding majority of private vehicle drivers, making Irish roads less safe. "That is why we are very keen to see the implementation of the new MTPL and ANPR system at the earliest possible opportunity. It is already up and running on a trial basis and we understand it has had a tremendous impact based on feedback provided by An Garda Síochána. There are still a few measures involved before the system will be operational across the entire country and we will be liaising with the incoming Government at the earliest opportunity to ensure the remaining steps are realised."

MIBI forecasts a "further increase in the level of uninsured driving" due to the likely economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Automatic vehicle plate recognition "dramatically increases" the chances of catching uninsured drivers, Mr Fitzgerald said.

"It will be a strong weapon in the fight to apprehend any individuals who recklessly think they can treat motor insurance as ‘optional’. Motor insurance is a legal obligation for a reason. With ANPR those who do not respect that principle will be rolling the dice in a game where the odds will be truly stacked against them."