IRISH DRIVERS PAID out almost €59 million in 2010 as a result of uninsured drivers and hit and runs.

The Irish Daily Mail carries a report today which reveals that the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland has handed over almost €230 million in the past four years to bereaved families, €58.9 million last year alone.

The MIBI is funded by insurance firms, so this cost is passed onto drivers and is the equivalent of around €40 per insured driver. The MIBI did manage to recover almost €6 million last year by taking uninsured drivers to court. However, the difference in the money paid and the money recovered must by covered by other Irish drivers.

Last year 15 people were killed by uninsured and hit and run drivers. The report in the Irish Daily Mail highlights that some drivers do not realise they don’t have insurance when they take a car out on the road.

Insurance premiums look set to increase next year as a result of a ruling in the European Court of Justice which means that companies can no longer take gender into account when calculating premiums.

Read more in today’s Irish Daily Mail (print edition): Drivers with no insurance cost us €59 million>

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