Number of uninsured drivers caught by gardaí up by more than 100% in Cork city

The number of uninsured drivers caught by gardaí in Cork substantially increased over a 12-month period, new data has shown.

Ireland South MEP and member of the EU Transport Committee, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, has called for urgent measures to address the spike in the number of motorists caught driving without insurance in Cork.

Garda figures sent to Ms Ní Mhurchú show that between QQ2 2023 and Q2 2024, there were significant increases in the number of vehicles detained by gardaí across every county under Section 41 of the Roads Traffic Act 1994 “from a driver without an approved policy of insurance”.

According to the data, Cork city recorded a 108.6% increase, and Cork county recorded an 89.5% increase in the number of drivers caught driving without insurance between 2023 and 2024.

Ms Ní Mhurchú said that high car insurance premiums may be the reason for the spike in motorists driving without insurance.

The Fianna Fáil MEP told The Echo: “It appears likely there is a correlation between the excessive cost of car insurance in Ireland and the spike in motorists driving without insurance.

“That in no way justifies a motorist driving without insurance, and uninsured drivers involved in accidents only serves to further increase the average cost of premiums.

“The cost of car insurance has risen by over 11% in a year according to CSO figures, well above and beyond the level of inflation.”

She explained that in France, analysists believe motor insurance premiums are forecast to rise by an average of between 4% and 6% this year — half of Ireland’s increase.

She vowed to raise the issue in the EU transport committee and to lobby her colleagues in Government to implement the Action Plan for Insurance Reform that was promised in the recent programme for government.