The number of motor insurance claims relating to uninsured or untraced drivers recorded in Westmeath increased last year, according to new figures released by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI ). Some 45 such claims were made in Westmeath in 2017, up 10 per cent from 2016.
The claim figures were also higher than the 2015 levels, when a total of 32 Westmeath claims were recorded.
In total, some 2,758 claims were made throughout the country in 2017, which represents a jump of 242 more claims than in 2016. The largest number of claims came from Dublin, with 1,140 claims arising in the capital.
The MIBI is a not for profit organisation which was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
David Fitzgerald, chief executive of the MIBI said, “Last year the MIBI saw an increase in the number of claims received from Westmeath. This increase in claims is in line with the overall picture we have been seeing around the country over the past couple of years.
“There are a range of factors behind this step up in activity, including the number of uninsured drivers operating on Irish roads. As the MIBI outlined in late 2016, at that time there were over 151,000 uninsured private vehicles in the Republic of Ireland. We are continuing to work with the Gardaí, the State and the rest of the motor insurance industry to bring forward measures that will help combat this problem.”
