Cork motorists urged to update driver number on insurance policies

AA Ireland has issued a reminder to motorists to update their driver numbers on their car insurance policies, with a legal requirement set to come in to effect from March 31.

Under the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, all insurers and intermediaries acting on their behalf must ensure that they collect driver number data and validate it against the national vehicle database.

It applies to all car insurance policies transacted in Ireland, regardless of the insurance provider.

Failure to provide the driver number will mean that motorists will be unable to renew their current car insurance.

Drivers will be required to provide all driver numbers, including those of additional named drivers, if they are changing insurers or adjusting an existing policy — such as adding a named driver.

The update must be done before the issue of an insurance policy and the data must be transferred to the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID).

Uninsured drivers

The primary objective of the database is to keep uninsured drivers off the road.

Gardaí are able to access the database through their mobility devices, thereby enabling them to identify drivers without insurance.

The addition of driver numbers aims to further strengthen road-safety initiatives in Ireland.

Elena Leao, from AA Ireland, said that public awareness regarding the measure remains low despite the change coming in to effect in the coming days.

“Many drivers could find themselves unable to obtain or renew their car insurance, simply because they were not properly informed,” Ms Leao said.

“There is a real risk that motorists will be caught out at renewal time, something that could have serious consequences — including being unable to legally drive their vehicle.”

The driver number can be found in field 4D on the front of the Irish plastic-card driving licence.

Foreign driving licences may vary in format and location.

If someone does not have access to a physical driving licence and requires a driver number, they should visit https://www.rsa.ie.

Here, they can log in and retrieve it by clicking on the ‘My Licences’ option on the menu.

The National Driver Licence Service can also be contacted for further assistance.

AA Ireland customers can submit and update their driver number(s) on the AA website https://www.theaa.ie.