Car fleet owners/managers and motor traders in Cork are being warned to add their vehicle details to the the National Fleet Database - or risk legal penalties.
That's according to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland and the Road Safety Authority.
Over 8,000 such vehicles have been added to the database in Cork already.
Under the recently enacted Road Traffic and Roads Act (2023), the details for all vehicles operating under flexible motor insurance policies "usually used for fleet vehicles and motor traders" must be uploaded to the national database by 30th November. This is the legal responsibility of the relevant fleet owner/ manager or motor trader.
Often these flexible, motor insurance policies are used by garages and motor traders who sell vehicles, as well as fleets of trucks, buses, coaches, taxis, construction vehicles, hire cars, delivery vans, utility vehicles, transport and logistic providers, service vehicles as well as the vehicles operated by retailers, service providers, semi state operations and more.
An estimated 160,000 vehicles of this type are yet to be added to the database, with the deadline now only weeks away.
Cork fleet owners/ managers and motor traders who do not fulfil their obligation to upload their vehicle registrations to the NFD by 30th November may face legal sanctions. This includes having their vehicles identified as being uninsured by the Gardaí, as well as additional penalties for non-compliance, such as potentially facing prosecution in the District Court and being subjected to fines of up to €500 per vehicle.
Just under 92,000 vehicles have been added to the database to date. The largest number are based in Dublin (38,843 vehicles) with Cork in second (8,346 vehicles). This was followed by Wexford (7,191 vehicles), Kildare (3,839 vehicles) and Mayo (3,201 vehicles). The fewest vehicles registered in the Republic of Ireland have been in Leitrim (208 vehicles), Offaly (685 vehicles) and Carlow (734 vehicles).
A dedicated online database, the National Fleet Database (NFD) was launched last year to enable the collection of this information. It is maintained by the MIBI, a not for profit organisation that was established to compensate victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
The vehicle data on the NFD will be combined with the same information for private vehicles (which represent approximately 92% of the vehicles on Irish roads) and used by An Garda Síochána to identify vehicles which are being driven illegally without insurance. Figures from the MIBI show that Ireland had the second highest level of uninsured driving in the EU in 2021 and the number rose further in 2022 growing to represent 1 in every 12 vehicles using Irish roads.
"When you look at the numbers in Cork and around the country, it is clear there are still a lot of fleet vehicles or motor trader vehicles that are yet to be added to the database," said David Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of the MIBI. "Based on the latest figures an estimated 160,000 vehicles will need to be added before the end of the month or the relevant fleet owners/ managers and motor traders will face legal penalties. We would encourage all fleet owners, motor traders or anyone with fleet style, flexible, motor insurance policies in Cork to not delay and to upload their vehicle registration details to the NFD as soon as possible," he said.
"This is a very important measure which will greatly assist the battle against illegal uninsured driving and improve road safety in Cork and around the country," said Sam Waide, CEO of the RSA. "By uploading their vehicle registration information to the NFD by 30th November not only will fleet owners, managers and motor traders based in Cork be fulfilling their legal obligations, but they will also be helping to make Irish roads safer", Mr. Waide concluded.
Fleet owners/managers and motor traders who use fleet style flexible insurance policies can upload their details to the NFD on https://nfd.mtpl.ie
