10,376 claims were made over the last five years for accidents caused by uninsured and untraced drivers.
The situation has added between €150-175 to the cost of the motor insurance policy of the average motorist.
The data was released by the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), the not for profit organisation that compensates victims of road traffic accidents caused by uninsured and unidentified vehicles.
"The reality is that the cost of these accidents is borne by law abiding motorists, who effectively have to subsidise these claims every time they renew their motor insurance," said Chief Executive of the MIBI, David Fitzgerald.
"Unfortunately, as the number of uninsured vehicles grows, the number of claims relating to accidents caused by uninsured drivers also rise."
"With the level of uninsured vehicles on Irish roads potentially the highest in the EU, we need to do all we can to discourage people driving illegally without insurance."
The MIBI has called for the urgent enactment and full implementation of new legislation to give Gardai powers to identify uninsured vehicles.
The bureau predicted in February that the number of uninsured vehicles on Irish roads could pass 200,000 in the next 12 – 18 months if "significant action" isn’t taken.
Last year the number of claims relating to uninsured and untraced driving grew further with 1,739 received by the MIBI, representing a 17% increase on the 2021 numbers.
"As the reduction in claims received by the MIBI over the course of the pandemic highlights, when there are fewer journeys undertaken by uninsured drivers the claims figures quickly drop," said Mr Fitzgerald.
Over the last five years, the highest number of claims for uninsured vehicle accidents came from Dublin, followed by Cork and Limerick.
