One in 15 vehicles in Ireland is uninsured, says industry as it seeks new policing method
One in every 15 vehicles on Ireland’s roads is uninsured or unregistered, new data shows.At the end of last year there were 211,371 uninsured or unregistered vehicles being used, about 6.5 per cent of the overall number on the roads.This includes a rise to 105,429 uninsured private vehicles used on roads last year, compared with 101,881 in 2024. The additional 3,548 uninsured private vehicles represent a 3.5 per cent increase. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), which published the data on Monday, has called for the introduction of continuous vehicle coverage (CVC) to help reduce the number of uninsured vehicles flouting the law. CVC is an enforcement system that moves the detection of uninsured vehicles from being Garda-led to being administrative.READ MOREA family’s Roaccutane story: ‘I never thought something like this could happen’Meet the Dublin couple who left their law and engineering careers for a camper van lifeMeet Trump’s Maga disciples tearing up the diplomatic rule book across Europe ‘Your husband is having an affair with my wife’: how the perfect life of an heiress explodedUnder the CVC system, the owner is legally required to insure their road vehicle at all times once they take ownership. Registered vehicles are cross-checked with insured vehicles, allowing any that are uninsured to be easily identified. Fines are then issued if the vehicle is registered but not insured.The MIBI believes these uninsured numbers could be significantly reduced if such a system were introduced. CVC is already being used in 25 European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Following the introduction of the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) in 2024, an analysis of “non-private” motor vehicles can be carried out. Some of these vehicles, the bureau points out, are insured on an individualised basis, while others use flexible, fleet or motor trader policies, which allow a policy to be transferred from one vehicle to another within a specific group of vehicles. Under law, the insurance details for these vehicles are required to be added to the national fleet database (NFD), a specialised subsection of the IMID. A total of 105,942 “non-private” vehicles remain either uninsured or not yet registered on the NFD. The increase in the level of uninsured vehicles comes despite extensive Garda activity around uninsured driving last year. A total of 19,673 vehicles were seized for driving without insurance last year and a further 25,009 charges and summonses were issued for that offence over the same period. Currently in Ireland, a motorist is only penalised if they drive a vehicle without valid insurance. This puts all the pressure on identifying and apprehending the uninsured on the Garda. CVC moves the focus from apprehending those driving an uninsured vehicle to requiring motor insurance based on the ownership of road vehicles. David Fitzgerald, chief executive of the MIBI, said the latest analysis of uninsured activity showed “progress is flatlining and further measures are required”.Fitzgerald said: “Adapting our system to this [CVC] approach would have benefits for the Government, An Garda Síochána, insurance providers and road users. It would enhance road safety and also help address cost pressures associated with uninsured driving. “If this country is serious about reducing illegal, uninsured activity on our roads, then, the MIBI believes, this approach is essential.”
