Changes Have Been Made to Insurance but What Does This Mean for Contractors?

There is a new legal requirement for motorists to show their driver number when renewing or taking out insurance policies.

Drivers who do not show their driver number for all named drivers on the policy will not be able to renew or take out insurance.

Many of those who have taken out insurance may have already shown their driver number as many insurance providers require a picture of a driving license before renewal.

This announcement was made by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) yesterday in a new initiative to curb uninsured vehicles.

What will this mean for Irish contractors? Tractors and other machinery with open insurance policies will remain unaffected but category B vehicles like cars, jeeps or light vans will require you to provide this number.

From now on, when renewing or taking out insurance policies, every named driver on a policy will be have to provide their driver number.

The reasoning behind the change is that it will become easier to detect uninsured vehicles on Irish roads.

According to the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), the number of uninsured vehicles on Irish roads is four times the EU average, with the figure in the region of 187,000.

This equates to between €60 and €70 million each year in claims involving uninsured drivers. It is estimated that this increases the cost of all motor insurance policies by €35.