Driver number requirement for car insurance takes effect

Eva Osborne

The new legal requirement for motorists to provide their driver number when renewing or taking out motor insurance takes effect from March 31st.

From now on it will be an offence for any insurance provider or broker to issue motor insurance to anyone should the driver numbers not be provided for all the named drivers on their policy.

This means that anyone who does not provide those details will not be able to take out or renew their motor insurance.

Over 2 million individual driver numbers have already been collected by insurers and these will now be added to the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID).

This information will benefit road safety by allowing An Garda Síochána to obtain a more comprehensive insight into any offences individuals may have committed, making it even more challenging for drivers who act illegally on Irish roads to evade detection.

Every person who has ever had a driver’s licence is given their own unique driver number, which stays with them for life.

It does not matter if they change their car, their insurance policy or even if they update their licence, their driver number remains constant. It is listed under section 4(d) on all driver’s licences.

The driver number will be an additional point of information provided to An Garda Síochána on a daily basis.

Other information also provided through IMID includes the name and address of the policy holder, the insurance policy number and validity dates for that insurance policy, the vehicle registration number covered by that policy, the named drivers included on the policy and the class of driver covered, the date of birth of the driver and the name of the insurance company that provides the motor insurance policy.

Speaking about the new driver number legal requirement, chief executive of the MIBI, David Fitzgerald, said: “We would advise anyone who is renewing their motor insurance or taking out a new policy to make sure they have the driver numbers to hand for all the named drivers on their policy. From now on, if they don’t have that information then they won’t be able to get motor insurance. It’s that simple.

“This information is easily found on every person’s driver licence. All they need to do is look under section 4(d) and provide the relevant number. These details will then be validated by the insurers to ensure they are accurate.

“The inclusion of driver numbers represents another important data point for the Irish Motor Insurance Database. As every individual has their own unique driver number that never changes, it allows An Garda Síochána to know exactly who they are dealing with and what offences may have been committed by that driver.

“Before, certain drivers may have claimed that the offences were attributed to their namesake. The use of the driver number avoids situations like that arising and we have no doubt this will make it even more difficult for anyone who engages in serial, illegal driving activity to escape the legal consequences of their law breaking actions."