Each year insurance claims for uninsured vehicles cost €60-€70 million
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) in cooperation with Insurance Ireland, An Garda Síochána and the Department of Transport, has implemented a central insurance database which is referred to as the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) which will help identify uninsured vehicles and drivers. This database is underpinned by Legislation under Section 78A of the Road Traffic and Roads Act (2023) which requires all insurers to provide motor policy information to the database.
TEKenable, MIBI’s solution provider, working closely with the insurance industry, through Insurance Ireland and the MIBI, identified the need to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution for insurers and the Gardai to meet the obligations placed on them by the legislation. Tekenable designed and developed the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) which will assist the Gardai in enforcement of the insurance requirements in the Road Traffic Act. This will ultimately help to reduce uninsured driving which in turn will reduce premiums and help to improve road safety.
“In Ireland, it’s compulsory for all vehicles to have motor insurance. If any person suffers physical injury and property damage that’s caused by an uninsured vehicle, MIBI will deal with the claim and pay compensation to the victim. MIBI, as a not-for-profit organisation, is financed by levies on the insurance industry. These levies are ultimately paid by law-abiding insured motorists with €30-€35 included in the premium paid by drivers,” explains Tom O’Brien, Technical Claims Manager at MIBI. “This puts an extra burden on law-abiding drivers and motor insurance companies while the person with an uninsured vehicle attempts to get away without paying anything.”
The IMID integrates with the underwriting platforms at approximately 40 insurers and collects data on a nightly basis from each insurer. This data is processed overnight and then shared with An Garda Síochána who make it available to front-line Gardai via their internal systems and mobility devices. The MIBI also plans to share the data with the National Vehicle & Driver File (NVDF) at the Department of Transport.
The IMID is one of the largest financial services databases in Ireland today as it contains details on over 3 million vehicles and over 5 million drivers that are insured to drive those vehicles.
The complex and sensitive data in the database will allow Gardai, the Department of Transport and the MIBI to see real-time insurance data pertaining to motor vehicles and their drivers.
“The new system delivers a secure database that connects insurers, MIBI, the Department of Transport and the Gardai, giving them highly secure access to motor insurance data at any time,” concludes Tom. “The data in IMID facilitates live access to insurance data by Gardai at the roadside through their mobile devices. This is a game-changer as it allows the Gardai to check the insurance status of both vehicles and drivers that they have stopped. This will help reduce uninsured driving and improve road safety.”
