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There was a 19% enhance within the variety of claims referring to accidents brought on by uninsured or untraced automobiles in Cork Metropolis and Cork County final 12 months.
The brand new figures have been revealed by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Eire (MIBI) and the 19% enhance in Cork represents a major enhance on the 11% rise skilled nationally. There have been a complete of 141 such claims in Cork Metropolis and Cork County in 2023, up from 118 that arose in 2022.
Nationally, the MIBI acquired a complete of 1,927 claims throughout the nation. This represented 187 extra claims from the 1,740 they acquired in 2022. Wanting forensically into the breakdown of the claims referring to uninsured driving by county, the most important quantity got here in Dublin (822), adopted by Cork (141), Limerick (112), Kildare (102) and Galway (91). The variety of claims referring to uninsured drivers grew in 14 counties with the most important share will increase occurring in Mayo (up 80%), Meath (up 55%) and Kildare (up 42%).
9 counties recorded a drop within the variety of claims and three counties recorded the very same variety of claims as 2022.
Reacting to the expansion in claims the MIBI stated it “reaffirms the significance of the brand new regulation enforcement system to clamp down on uninsured driving.”
Since signing a knowledge sharing settlement final November, the MIBI is now offering the insurance coverage particulars for 3 million automobiles utilizing Irish roads every day to An Garda Síochána.
Because of this the gardaí can now verify the insurance coverage standing of any car just by scanning its registration plate. David Fitzgerald, CEO of the MIBI stated the rise in claims referring to accidents brought on by uninsured or untraced automobiles in Cork represents a ‘trigger’ for concern. “This soar in claims because of accidents brought on by uninsured automobiles in Cork needs to be a reason for concern for each regulation abiding motorist within the county. It’s unlawful to drive with out legitimate motor insurance coverage, but there are nonetheless a major variety of people who find themselves willingly flouting the regulation,” he stated.
Mr Fitzgerald stated the degrees of claims spotlight the significance of the brand new regulation enforcement system. “Each one of many uninsured motorists behind these claims is successfully placing their palms within the pockets of regulation abiding motorists in Cork and across the nation and taking their cash. As they broke the regulation and drove with out insurance coverage cowl, it turns into the duty of the MIBI to deal with the compensation related to these claims. Our funding comes not directly from drivers who pay their motor insurance coverage.
“Basically these uninsured drivers took thousands and thousands of euro from the remainder of us final 12 months and added €30 to €35 to the typical motor insurance coverage coverage. With the extent of claims rising in Cork, it reaffirms the significance of the brand new regulation enforcement system to clamp down on uninsured driving. We are actually offering the gardaí with up to date insurance coverage info for 3 million automobiles on Irish roads every day,” he added. “Our expectation is that this shall be a gamechanger for regulation enforcement in coping with the scourge of uninsured driving,” Mr Fitzgerald stated. “If the gardaí in Cork scan your registration quantity they’ll know in seconds if there’s legitimate insurance coverage in place or not. We hope that as this new weapon begins to chew, it received’t be lengthy earlier than the variety of uninsured claims we obtain additionally begins to fall for Cork and throughout the nation. That shall be good for highway security on Cork roads additionally good for the pockets of regulation abiding motorists.”
