The number of claims relating to accidents caused by uninsured or untraced vehicles grew by 11% in 2023, according to new figures published by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI). Last year the MIBI received a total of 1,927 claims. This represented 187 additional claims from the 1,740 they received in 2022.

“This jump of almost 200 claims due to accidents caused by uninsured vehicles should be a cause of concern for every law-abiding motorist in the country,” said David Fitzgerald, CEO of the MIBI.

“It is illegal to drive without valid motor insurance, yet as these figures show there are still a significant number of people who are willingly flouting the law.

“Every one of the uninsured motorists behind these claims is effectively putting their hands in the pockets of law-abiding motorists and taking their money.” Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Fitzgerald said up to 50 motorists are having their vehicles seized every day because they are driving without insurance.

The MIBI is a not-for-profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.

It noted that the expense of meeting these claims is borne by law abiding motorists. The average motorist will have contributed €30 to €35 at their most recent insurance renewal to cover the claims paid out by the MIBI in the last year.

Looking at the breakdown of the claims relating to uninsured driving by county Waterford was down 17% year on year from 2022 to 2023.

“With the level of claims growing, it reaffirms the importance of the new law enforcement system to clamp down on uninsured driving. We are now providing the Gardaí with updated insurance information for 3 million vehicles on Irish roads daily. So, if they scan your registration number they’ll know in seconds if there is valid insurance in place or not. We’re on record saying our expectation is that this will be a gamechanger for law enforcement in dealing with the scourge of uninsured driving. We hope that as this new weapon begins to bite, it won’t be long before the number of uninsured claims we receive also begins to fall.

“That will be good for road safety on Irish roads and also good for the pockets of law-abiding motorists across the country,” Mr. Fitzgerald concluded.

 

NB – This is a guide for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have an issue requiring legal advice, please contact any of the team at Nolan Farrell & Goff LLP, whose numbers can be found on our website www.nfg.ie, or email info@nfg.ie.