The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has begun providing motor insurance details to An Garda Síochána on a daily basis, starting from Thursday 16th November 2023. This follows the official signing of the data sharing agreement between the two organisations.
Details for 3 million vehicles and 5 million drivers are being provided from the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) each day as part of the efforts to identify vehicles being driven illegally without insurance. These data sharing provisions were a key elements of the recently enacted Road Traffic and Roads Act (2023).
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.
The data which An Garda Síochána will now have access to includes:
- Name and address of the insurance policy holder
- The insurance policy number and validity dates of that policy
- Insurance company that issues policy
- Vehicle registration number covered by the policy
- Named drivers included on the insurance policy and the class of driver covered (e.g., open driving policies)
- Date of birth of driver(s)
So if a vehicle’s insurance was to lapse, law enforcement would have access to information providing that detail.
The signing of this 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.
The signing ceremony was performed by Paula Hilman, Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing & Community Engagement, An Garda Síochána and David Fitzgerald, CEO Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland. Accompanying (L to R) were Gerard Maguire, Head of Technical Architecture, An Garda Síochána, Tom Murphy, Superintendent Roads Policing, An Garda Síochána, Moyagh Murdock, CEO Insurance Ireland, Tom O’Brien, MIBI Claims Technical Manager and IMID Project Manager
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.
Ahead of that measure taking effect, fleet owners/ managers as well as motor traders have until 30th November to upload any vehicles covered by flexible motor insurance policies (i.e., that can be transferred from one vehicle to another within a range of vehicles) to the National Fleet Database. They can add their information via https://nfd.mtpl.ie or by using an internet search engine to find “National Fleet Database”.
Speaking following the signing of the data sharing agreement, 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. 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. We look forward to using this data to help identify and penalise those who are guilty of driving without insurance, making our roads safer in the process,” Assistant Commissioner Hilman said.
“This is a significant milestone in the battle against uninsured driving, a moment we have been working towards for several years,” said David Fitzgerald. “With the full data transfer for private vehicles now in effect, members of An Garda Síochána will have access to real time motor insurance information. So law enforcement won’t be dependent on checking motor insurance certificates, they’ll be able to get details for a vehicle’s motor insurance policy, the period of time that policy applies as well as information on what individuals are covered by the policy. We have seen how effective a weapon this has been against uninsured driving in the UK and we anticipate it will have a similar effect in Ireland – making it next to impossible for motorists to act illegally and drive without valid motor insurance being in place,” Mr. Fitzgerald concluded.