17 Feb 2019
Posted by Barry Aldworth 
Over 1 in 8 Irish motorists suspect that they know of at least one person who is currently driving uninsured, highlighting what has in recent years become a growing problem on Irish roads.
In response to a recent AA Car Insurance survey of over 2,500 motorists, 7.64% of respondents stated that they strongly believe they know at least one person driving without insurance currently. Meanwhile, a further 5.17% stated that they were somewhat convinced that they knew of at least one uninsured driver among their social circle.
The AA’s findings come despite a reported decrease in the number of insurance claims relating to uninsured drivers. According to the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland, claims relating to damage caused by uninsured drivers dropped by 8% in the first half of 2018.
“After years of calling for the establishment of a database to assist Gardaí in identifying uninsured drivers alongside the wider use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, it does appear that some progress is finally being made in this space. An initial trial of using ANPR and the newly established Motor Third Party Liability (MRPL) database began in late 2018 but we now need government to commit to providing An Garda Síochána with everything they need to ensure this technology can be used more widely as soon as possible,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs stated. “While finally completing this work would represent significant forward progress in trying to stamp out uninsured driving, the fact that we are still discussing this use of this technology in 2019 highlights how glacial this progress has been.”
“Similar technologies have been in use in the UK, Northern Ireland and elsewhere for a number of years, but while other jurisdictions were keeping up with the times we were still asking Gardaí to police uninsured driving with little more than a flashlight to check insurance discs on dark, gloomy nights.”
The AA’s survey also found significant support among motorists for the establishment of a specialist Garda unit tasked with tackling incidents of insurance fraud and uninsured driving.
71.81% of those surveyed stated that they are strongly supportive of the introduction of a Gardaí unit to police incidents of fraud, uninsured driving or accidents involving unidentified vehicles. Meanwhile, a further 16.39% indicated that they would be somewhat supportive of establishing such a unit, with just 1.93% of motorists indicating they were strongly opposed to this.
“Estimates from Insurance Ireland indicate that every motorist in Ireland pays an additional €50 on their insurance premiums in order to cover the costs associated with insurance fraud and uninsured drivers, so it hardly comes as a surprise that such a strong majority want to see direct action taken to tackle these issues,” Faughnan added. “Whether such a unit is introduced is ultimately a matter for An Garda Síochána and the Government to decide, but what we can say with a degree of certainty is that the current status quo can’t be allowed to continue and that more direct action to tackle these issues is required – with the wider use of ANPR and the MRPL database being a positive first step in the right direction.”
