News & Info

Drivers living in Ireland are now legally required to provide their driver number when taking out or renewing their motor insurance. This will help Gardai to identify uninsured drivers.

The new requirement will apply to all named drivers on insurance policies, and it will be an offence for an insurance provider or broker to issue insurance without this information.

Once the insurers have collected the driver numbers, they will add the details to the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) which contains other driver information.

The IMID project is organised by The Department of Transport, An Garda Síochána, Insurance Ireland and the wider insurance sector.

Thanks to technology introduced in 2024, Gardai can now access the information on the IMID in seconds through handheld mobile devices or their Automatic Number Place Recognition (ANPR) systems.

With the addition of the driver number, the Garda will quickly be able to identify who the driver is, if they are uninsured, and whether they have been convicted of a driving offense.

According to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), a total of 18,676 vehicles were seized in 2024 by An Garda Síochána for being uninsured, following the introduction of the IMID last year. This was up by 67% from the 11,201 vehicles that were seized for the same offence in 2023.

Solicitor Paul Tracey says the more information that Gardai have available to them to help crack down on uninsured drivers the better it will be for all drivers in Ireland.

“Uninsured and untraced driver claims have been rising steadily over the past few years and this adds to the cost of motor insurance policies for everyone in this country.”

“Not only that”, he adds, “but the consequences of someone being involved in an accident with an untraced vehicle are significant. We see it frequently in the claims we handle; those who are injured in hit and run accidents have the added trauma of the injustice of a driver not facing up to the consequences of their actions.”

“We hope that the IMID and the technology the Gardai now have at their fingertips will allow them to intercept more uninsured drivers on Irish roads.”

If you have been involved in an accident involving an uninsured or unidentified driver, we may be able to help. Contact us and tell us about your case today.