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Driver-number change in effect from March

New legislation that will require motorists to provide their driver number, and those of any named drivers, to their insurer when taking out motor-insurance policies will come into effect on 31 March next year.

The driver number is in section 4(d) of an Irish driving licence or learner permit.

The Department of Transport said today (14 November) that Minister Eamon Ryan had signed the commencement order for the relevant legislation last week.

Database

Under the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, all insurers, and intermediaries acting on their behalf, must also ensure that they collect driver-number data and validate it against the department’s National Vehicle and Driver File.

This must be done before the issue of an insurance policy, and the data must subsequently be transferred to the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID).
Insurers and brokers can apply to the department for access to the driver-number validation service.

The department says that the development is important from a road-safety perspective, as the IMID database’s main aim is to remove uninsured drivers from Irish roads.

Gardaí welcome move

It adds that gardaí already have access to the database through their mobility devices, and can detect drivers operating without insurance on Irish roads.

“The additional feature of having a person’s driver-number data available to gardaí through the IMID will further strengthen our ability to keep road users safe,” said garda assistant commissioner Paula Hilman.

Insurance Ireland chief executive Moya Murdock said that the number of claims caused by uninsured vehicles had grown by 11% last year.