DISGRACEFUL! Over 250 claims in Tipp over accidents caused by uninsured and untraced drivers!

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has received 255 claims relating to accidents caused by uninsured and untraced driving in Tipperary over the last five years.

Nationally there were over 10,000 claims submitted to the MIBI during this period.

As the MIBI is a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles, effectively the expense of meeting these claims is borne by the law abiding motorists of Tipperary and the rest of the country.

Over the five-year period the average Tipperary motorist will have contributed between €150 - €175 to cover these costs through their motor insurance policies.

On a county by county basis, over the last five years the highest total number of claims received were in Dublin (4,605), Cork (819) and Limerick (617). However, using the Census 2022 data, the most claims per capita were in Dublin, Louth and Limerick.

The five-year figures also show that the number of claims dropped over the course of the pandemic when fewer vehicles, including uninsured vehicles, were on the roads.

However last year the number of claims relating to uninsured and untraced driving grew significantly once again, with the 1,739 received by the MIBI representing a 17% increase on the 2021 numbers.

In 2022 there were a total of 44 claims in Tipperary which was up by 5% on the comparison for 2021.

The figures for 2022 also show that the number of claims received by the MIBI grew in 22 of the 26 counties in the Republic.

The largest percentage increases year on year were in Kilkenny (up 70%), Galway (up 59%) and Clare (up 52%). The greatest drop was in Mayo (down 21%), followed by Wexford (down 9%) and Westmeath (down 4%).

Earlier this year the MIBI published research showing there were almost 188,000 uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads last year and that the Republic of Ireland may now have the highest level of uninsured vehicles in the EU.

They also predicted that the number of uninsured vehicles on Irish roads could pass 200,000 in the next 12 – 18 months if “significant action” isn’t taken, especially the urgent enactment and full implementation of legislation that will give greater powers to Gardaí to identify uninsured vehicles.

The relevant legislation is known as the Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021.

Although the uninsured vehicle figures were published in February, the relevant legislation has yet to advance any further in the Oireachtas.