A total of 47 claims were made in Donegal last year over accidents caused by uninsured or untraced vehicles.
New figures published by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland show no change in the number of claims relating to uninsured driving in Donegal, but figures are up 11% nationally.
The MIBI says that every claim related to uninsured motorists adds €30 to €35 to the average motor insurance policy.
Reacting to the growth in claims the MIBI said it “reaffirms the importance of the new law enforcement system to clamp down on uninsured driving.” Since signing a data sharing agreement last November, the MIBI is now providing the insurance details for 3 million vehicles using Irish roads on a daily basis to An Garda Síochána. This means that the Gardaí can now check the insurance status of any vehicle simply by scanning its registration plate.
The MIBI is a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
Last year the MIBI received a total of 1,927 claims. This represented 187 additional claims from the 1,740 they received in 2022.
Speaking about the level of claims received in 2023, David Fitzgerald, CEO of the MIBI said, “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. 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. As they broke the law and drove without insurance cover, it becomes the responsibility of the MIBI to handle the compensation associated with these claims. We are a not for profit organisation so our funding comes indirectly from drivers who pay their motor insurance. Essentially these uninsured drivers took millions of euro from the rest of us last year and added €30 to €35 to the average motor insurance policy.”
