Do you work for the Daily Mail by any chance?
I don't understand the reference?
The Gardai (police) have crushed a young mans car, who lives not far from me because he had a loud exhaust, lowered, underlights(??) etc and as they were not declared they seized it and crushed it.
Gardaí now have access to insurance data in crackdown on rogue drivers
Quote from The Independent newpaper.
Thu 16 Nov 2023 at 11:04
The crackdown on uninsured drivers has moved up a gear with an agreement between insurers and An Garda Síochána to share data on five million drivers.
Data on insurance cover is being provided by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) each day as part of the efforts to identify vehicles being driven illegally without insurance.
The data-sharing agreement covers three million vehicles, with the provision to share information a key element of the recently enacted Road Traffic and Roads Act (2023).
The MIBI is a not-for-profit organisation funded by a levy on motor insurance policies. It was set up by insurers to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
MIBI holds what it calls the Irish Motor Insurance Database.
Research it has published in the past shows that one in every 12 private vehicles in use across the country is uninsured.
It reckons that Ireland had the second highest level of uninsured driving in the European Union in 2021.
Some 188,000 uninsured vehicles were on the roads last year, the MIBI said.
It is estimated the cost of compensating people involved in an accident with an uninsured driver adds around €30 to €35 to every motor insurance premium.
****An Garda Síochána will now receive comprehensive insurance records every night, providing a real-time picture of the insurance details for every private vehicle in the country.****
Gardaí will get the name and address of the insurance policy holder, the insurance policy number and validity dates of that policy, and the name of the insurance company that issues policy.
The data will also include the vehicle registration number covered by the policy, details of named drivers included on the insurance policy and the class of driver covered (e.g., open driving policies), and the date of birth of drivers.
Chief executive of MIBI David Fitzgerald said that if a vehicle’s insurance was to lapse, law enforcement would have access to information providing that detail.
The signing of the agreement and the provision of the insurance data is the culmination of years of collaboration between the MIBI, An Garda Síochána as well as the Department of Transport, Insurance Ireland, the insurance industry and other stakeholders all aimed at reducing the number of uninsured vehicles being driven in Ireland, Mr Fitzgerald said.
It is illegal to drive on Irish roads without valid motor insurance.
Under Irish law, the penalties for vehicles found without valid insurance include An Garda Síochána having the power to seize the vehicle on the spot, as well as other significant penalties such as an automatic court appearance, five penalty points and a substantial fine.
The number of vehicles covered in the insurance data updates to An Garda Síochána are expected to rise even further early next year when data relating to fleet and motor trader vehicles are added. This information will be combined with the data for private vehicles as part of the nightly process.
Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement with An Garda Síochána, Paula Hilman, said: “This information will act as a modern and effective tool in the battle against uninsured driving.”
She said driving without insurance is against the law.
With this data, members of An Garda Síochána across the country will now have access to all the latest, comprehensive motor insurance information for every private vehicle operating on our roads, she added.
