Gardaí to begin scanning for uninsured drivers
BY Michael Brennan on July 31, 2016
Gardaí will now possess new cameras to catch uninsured drivers
Over 100 Garda cars are equipped to scan number plates
Gardaí will be able to use automatic number plate recognition cameras to catch uninsured drivers under the terms of a new law.
Over 100 Garda cars are equipped to scan number plates and cross-check them against the motor insurance database – but the system has not been used for the past two years, because the motor insurance database was not up to date and was wrongly flagging almost 1.1 million of the 2.4 million vehicles on the road as having no insurance.
But now the government is going to change the road traffic laws to require insurance companies to provide more accurate information.
This will include details of motorists who have made “part payments” to insure themselves for part of the year, which was a particular problem under the old system. Insurers will also have to provide the details of all named drivers on a policy.
It is estimated that uninsured drivers account for 5-6 per cent of those on the roads, and that they cost around €50-60 million per year in insurance company payouts.
This has to be funded by a general levy on all motor insurance premiums. Last year, gardaí prosecuted around 29,500 people for driving without insurance.
Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice welcomed the new system but called for new ideas to reduce the high cost of insurance for young drivers.
He said a speed limiter could be installed in their cars to restrict them to 80 kilometres per hour in return for lower premiums.
“You have to give youngsters a fair chance to have a start in life. The prices they are quoting are enticing them to walk away from insurance,” he said.
Garda cars are still able to use their automatic number plate recognition cameras to detect stolen and untaxed cars, as well as those owned by known criminals. A Garda spokesman said it was working with the insurance industry and the Department of Transport to advance the new motor industry database.
The recent report from the Department of Finance’s motor insurance costs working group highlighted the potential impact of using the automatic number plate recognition cameras system with the upgraded motor insurance database.
It said robust Garda enforcement against uninsured drivers should result in significant annual savings on payouts to victims of collisions involving uninsured drivers.
The PARC road safety group said that the road safety legislation needed to be upgraded to also ensure there was a more accurate record of disqualified drivers on the state’s separate national driver and vehicle database.
Michael Brennan
Political Editor Sunday Business Post
BY Michael Brennan on July 31, 2016
Gardaí will now possess new cameras to catch uninsured drivers
Over 100 Garda cars are equipped to scan number plates
Gardaí will be able to use automatic number plate recognition cameras to catch uninsured drivers under the terms of a new law.
Over 100 Garda cars are equipped to scan number plates and cross-check them against the motor insurance database – but the system has not been used for the past two years, because the motor insurance database was not up to date and was wrongly flagging almost 1.1 million of the 2.4 million vehicles on the road as having no insurance.
But now the government is going to change the road traffic laws to require insurance companies to provide more accurate information.
This will include details of motorists who have made “part payments” to insure themselves for part of the year, which was a particular problem under the old system. Insurers will also have to provide the details of all named drivers on a policy.
It is estimated that uninsured drivers account for 5-6 per cent of those on the roads, and that they cost around €50-60 million per year in insurance company payouts.
This has to be funded by a general levy on all motor insurance premiums. Last year, gardaí prosecuted around 29,500 people for driving without insurance.
Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice welcomed the new system but called for new ideas to reduce the high cost of insurance for young drivers.
He said a speed limiter could be installed in their cars to restrict them to 80 kilometres per hour in return for lower premiums.
“You have to give youngsters a fair chance to have a start in life. The prices they are quoting are enticing them to walk away from insurance,” he said.
Garda cars are still able to use their automatic number plate recognition cameras to detect stolen and untaxed cars, as well as those owned by known criminals. A Garda spokesman said it was working with the insurance industry and the Department of Transport to advance the new motor industry database.
The recent report from the Department of Finance’s motor insurance costs working group highlighted the potential impact of using the automatic number plate recognition cameras system with the upgraded motor insurance database.
It said robust Garda enforcement against uninsured drivers should result in significant annual savings on payouts to victims of collisions involving uninsured drivers.
The PARC road safety group said that the road safety legislation needed to be upgraded to also ensure there was a more accurate record of disqualified drivers on the state’s separate national driver and vehicle database.
Michael Brennan
Political Editor Sunday Business Post
