The number of claims relating to accidents caused by uninsured or untraced vehicles grew by Wexford last year, according to new figures published by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI).
There were a total of 30 such claims in Wexford in 2023, one ahead of the 29 that were submitted in 2022. Nationally, the MIBI received a total of 1,927 claims across the country. This represented 187 additional claims from the 1,740 they received in 2022, an 11% rise across the country.
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.
As the MIBI is a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles, effectively the expense of meeting these claims is borne by law abiding motorists. The average motorist will have contributed €30 – €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, the largest number came in Dublin (822), followed by Cork (141), Limerick (112), Kildare (102) and Galway (91).
The number of claims relating to uninsured drivers grew in 14 of the 26 counties across the Republic, with the largest percentage increases occurring in Mayo (up 80%), Meath (up 55%) and Kildare (up 42%). Nine counties recorded a drop in the number of claims, with the largest percentage decreases coming in Leitrim (down 55%), Offaly (down 29%) and Sligo (down 21%). Three counties also recorded the exact same number of claims as 2022.
