Gardaí will now carry out instant checks to catch uninsured drivers

James Cox

Gardaí have a new weapon in the fight against uninsured drivers which will allow for instant roadside checks.

An Garda Síochána will now being provided with motor insurance details on a daily basis.

Research from earlier this year showed Ireland had the second-highest rate of uninsured drivers in the EU, reaching almost 188,000 vehicles.

From today, the details of 3 million vehicles and 5 million drivers will be provided to gardaí by the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland.

It follows the official signing of a data sharing agreement between the organisations. The records will be updated every evening, giving a real-time picture of the insurance details of every private vehicle in the State.

Among the data gardaí will gain access to is the name and address and policy number of each insured driver, the provider and validity dates of the policy, the vehicle registration number covered by the policy and details of named drivers.

It means as policies lapse, gardaí conducting road checks or responding to collisions or incidents can clearly see if a driver is violating the law.