You will need your driver number to get car insurance from the end of March

All motorists looking to renew their motor insurance or take out new motor insurance policies will have to provide their driver numbers from the end of the month, the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has warned.

From 31 March, it will be an offence for any insurance provider or broker to issue a motor insurance policy where the driver number has not been supplied. That means that anyone in Westmeath who does not provide the driver numbers for all named drivers on their respective policies will not be legally able to receive motor insurance.

All motorists have driver numbers that stays with them for life, regardless of changes to vehicles, insurance policies and including when they renew their licences.

It is listed under section 4(d) of every driving licence.

The measure was included in the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 and is aimed at further enhancing road safety.

The driver number details for Westmeath and the rest of the country will be added to the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID), the tool gardaí already use to detect and apprehend uninsured drivers.

Already An Garda Síochána receive insurance details for more than 3 million vehicles and 5 million drivers which are updated on a daily basis.

The addition of the driver number will act as a unique identifier for each driver. It will provide An Garda Síochána with a more comprehensive insight into offences individuals may have committed and make it more difficult for drivers who act illegally on Irish roads to evade detection.

The addition of the driver number will represent the final data phase of the Irish Motor Insurance Database project, a joint initiative between the Department of Transport, An Garda Síochána, Insurance Ireland, the MIBI and insurance providers.

The project was established to help clamp down on the high levels of uninsured driving in the state; MIBI figures show there were approximately 188,000 uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads in 2022 – one in every 12 private vehicles.

The MIBI is a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate the victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.

David Fitzgerald, CEO of the MIBI, said: “For most people, the change will just mean they will have to take a quick look at their driving licence and provide the correct number, listed under point 4(d), as part of the renewal process. If they have additional drivers listed on the policy, then the driver numbers for those individuals will also have to be provided.

“When combined with the impact the database is already making, allowing the gardaí to identify uninsured drivers in seconds, this will further enhance the policing of Irish roads. We all want safer roads in Westmeath and across this country. This adds another layer of effectiveness to IMID, aiding the battle against illegal driving activity,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

Further information on driver numbers and the new requirements are available on https://www.understandinginsurance.ie/driver-number.