The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI ) recorded a six per cent increase in claims from Mayo during 2019, after receiving a total of 36 claims from across the county during the course of the year.
This represented two more claims than were submitted to the MIBI from Mayo in 2018, when 34 claims were made. In their national figures, the MIBI highlighted the high level of claims relating to uninsured drivers they received during 2019, saying it underlines the importance of the new automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR ).
The ANPR system allows An Garda Síochána to more easily detect if a vehicle is being driven without insurance by checking the registration plate. Uninsured drivers accounted for over 70% of the total claims received by the MIBI last year.
Nationally, the overall level of MIBI claims was consistent between 2019 and the previous year. In 2019 the MIBI received 2,540 claims, down 12 from 2,552 in 2018. This represents a change of less than 0.01%.
The number of uninsured claims numbers also remained static over the two years with the MIBI receiving 1,787 claims relating to uninsured vehicles in 2019, compared to 1,788 in 2018.
The MIBI is a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
The highest number of claims were submitted from Dublin (1,172 ), followed by Cork (200 ), Limerick (137 ), Louth (108 ) and Kildare (105 ).
The county with the highest increase in claims was Kilkenny, which recorded a 62% jump in claims, followed by Clare (32% increase ) and Longford (30% increase ). The largest decrease was in Roscommon (65% reduction in claims ), followed by Monaghan (down 47% ) and Laois (down 40% ).
Speaking about the claims figures, David Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of the MIBI said: "Looking at the figures it is clear that there has been very little change in the number of claims received by the MIBI over the course of the past two years, even though the number of claims from Mayo did increase last year. On a national basis, it is particularly concerning that there has been no movement on the level of claims relating to uninsured vehicles, which suggests there continues to be a substantial number of uninsured vehicles driving on Irish roads.
"The MIBI hopes that the rollout of the new automatic number plate recognition system will make it easier and more simple for the Gardaí in Mayo and around the country to identify uninsured drivers. The initial phase is now in operation and that is expected to be further expanded in the coming months. This will make it very difficult for uninsured vehicles to be driven without being detected. They will then face heavy penalties. Anyone caught driving without insurance can have their vehicle seized on the spot, will face a mandatory court appearance, a heavy fine and five points on their licence.
"Uninsured driving is illegal and represents a real threat to Irish road safety. We believe the introduction of ANPR will tighten the net on uninsured drivers and will make a significant, positive impact towards Irish road safety."
The MIBI was established in 1955 by an Agreement between the Government and the companies underwriting motor insurance in Ireland for the purpose of compensating victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
All insurers underwriting motor insurance in Ireland are required to be members of the MIBI. The MIBI is funded entirely by motor insurance companies operating in Ireland and ultimately by premiums paid by all insured motorists.
The MIBI is also the Green Card Bureau for the Republic of Ireland, which ensures persons who sustain damage and/or injuries in a road traffic accident caused by a vehicle registered outside the State are not disadvantaged.
