Uninsured drivers could face having their vehicles confiscated, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said today.
Mr Brennan said while gardaí are entitled to confiscate vehicles, they have not done so in the past due to a lack of storage space. He said he had discussed the issue with the Minister for Justice and both were agreed to activate it to a greater degree.
According to Mr Brennan there are approximately 100,000 uninsured vehicles in the country which, if insured, could reduce the cost of premiums by 6 or 7 per cent.
The Minister was speaking at the signing of the revised Insurance Agreement between the Government and the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) today.
Under the new agreement:
- Claimants are required to present themselves for interview with the MIBI
- Claimants would also not lose their no claims discount should they decide to deal with claims through their own premiums.
- Claimants are required to report accidents to the Garda within two-days or as soon as reasonably possible
Mr John Casey, chief executive of the MIBI said that while "the vast majority of claims brought before the MIBI were genuine, the new agreement would help to reduce levels of exaggeration, manipulation and fraud".
The new agreement comes into effect from May 1st and replaces the 1998 agreement.
The MIBI provides pay claims for accident victims of motorists who are uninsured or cannot be traced. It is regulated by the Government but funded by all motor insurers in Ireland.
Meanwhile, Mr Brennan said he was planning to introduce penalty points for the offence of careless driving. The offence will incur five penalty points from June 1st next.
