Disqualified drivers may still be able to obtain insurance despite new regulations coming into effect on Monday requiring insurance companies to obtain driver numbers before providing cover.
The new system commences as it emerged just 3 per cent of banned learner drivers surrendered their licences to the courts to have their ban recorded over the past five years, while only 8 per cent of disqualified drivers with full licences did so.
From 2020 to the end of last year 40,282 drivers with full licences were disqualified but only 3,200 surrendered them, allowing the disqualification to be recorded. In the same period 9,316 learner drivers were disqualified but just 325 surrendered their permits for the conviction to be noted.
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If their disqualification is not recorded, gardaí and insurance companies may not be able to determine that the ban is in place and also because of IT difficulties. Motorists could renew their cover, continuing to drive illegally.
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The new system requiring motorists to submit their driver number comes into place two years after legislation around it was passed.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien released the figures on banned drivers to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy. The Minister acknowledged earlier this month that even with the introduction of the new system, insurers will not have access to real-time data “as this will require IT changes both in my Department and in the many insurer and broker IT platforms”.
Three IT systems are involved – from the department, Insurance Ireland and the IMID Irish Motor Insurance Database – but they have yet to be integrated.
Mr O’Brien said the industry had “sufficient time to prepare for the mandatory capture of driver numbers”, and he could not delay the introduction of the insurance obligation on motorists any further.
Mr Murphy said “there may well be thousands of people still driving after being disqualified for good reason”.
Motorists banned through accumulation of points from fixed penalty notices must submit their driver number when paying the fine. If they do not hand over their number they receive a court summons. A majority do so to avoid court and if subsequently stopped, gardaí have real time information on their penalty points.
However drivers receiving automatic bans for offences such as drink driving or dangerous driving who have no recorded penalty points, will not automatically be banned if they do not surrender their licence.
Susan Gray of road safety campaign group Parc said “we believe thousands of drivers are still on the road because there is no consequence if they don’t surrender their licence in court”. She said “we need a date” for the integration of the ICT systems.
The figures show that in 2024 just 75 of 1,756 banned learners surrendered their licence to the courts while the previous year only 78 of 2,006 learners surrendered them.
Of licensed drivers just 763 banned motorists out of 8,996 surrendered their licences last year while in 2023 just 580 of 7,814 disqualified motorists handed them over.
