MOTOR INSURANCE CLAMPDOWN: Gardai To Use New Handheld Device To Instantly Detect Uninsured Drivers
Gardaí are making clampdown on uninsured drivers by using a new handheld device which can scan driving plates and instantly identify uninsured vehicles.
This move is an attempt to clamp down on the rising number of uninsured drivers in Ireland and to tackle spiralling motor insurance costs.
With the device, officers will be able to scan a car’s driving plate when they pull the driver over.
This is then linked to a database of uninsured drivers which will allow An Garda Siochána to see if the vehicle is insured or not.
It is believed that around 150,000 uninsured drivers are on Irish roads at present. The Insurance companies are currently providing gardaí with insured and uninsured vehicle lists based on the vehicle’s license plate number and insurer name.
The list of uninsured vehicles is being loaded onto the database, which is known as the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system.
According to the latest report on the Government’s Cost of Insurance Motor Working Group, a “full rollout” will occur before the end of 2018 but in reality, it is expected to begin in 2019
The Garda system was recently trialled in the Limerick Garda District and was considered a success.
The purpose of the database is to develop an understanding of how the cost of claims is affecting motor insurance premiums and is part of an overall strategy aimed at tackling spiralling costs.
The Government’s Cost of Insurance working group said it was awaiting a “go live” date for the new ANPR system following the enactment of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018 in July of this year.
There is new wording in the Act as the term, “driver licence number” has been replaced with “driver number” which can be used as a unique identifier, according to the report.
Once the electronic link to transfer data from the insurance industry to the guards has taken place, a full rollout of the system will take place. It has already been confirmed that 90 per cent of privately insured drivers details have already been included in the database.
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Justin Kavanagh
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