Road safety campaigners have called on the Government to ensure real-time information on disqualified drivers can be accessed by gardaí, at mobile checkpoints.
The call comes ahead of the introduction of new provisions in the 2024 Road Traffic Act next week.
From Monday, motorists will be required to provide their driver number to insurers, who will then validate that data with Department of Transport records. Insurance policy details are then uploaded to the Irish Motor Insurance Database.
Almost 30 insurers, and intermediaries acting on their behalf, have signed the data sharing agreement.
While insurance companies can use the Department's register, they will not have access to real-time disqualification information.
The Department says this will require technological changes both administratively, and across several insurer and broker IT platforms.
There are also ongoing concerns about the disqualification information available to gardaí, when they are conducting roadside checks.
The Department of Transport says An Garda Síochána have access to the full information on penalty points and disqualifications, via the National Vehicle and Driver File database. This is updated regularly, but not on a daily basis at present.
Susan Gray, of the PARC Road Safety Group, said it was vitally important that gardaí were able to better access information about disqualified drivers.
She is urging the government to ensure systems are in place to allow for up to date, real-time data to be accessible on mobile devices used by gardaí.
Ms Gray said information connected with each individual driver identification number needed to be maintained and monitored, to ensure that all imposed disqualifications are recorded as soon as they are issued.
She says this would help to make sure that those serving driving bans were kept off the roads.
The 2024 Road Traffic Act introduces a number of measures aimed at reducing the number of fatalities on Irish roads, by bringing in changes to things like speed limits, roadside testing and the operation of the penalty points system.
The legislative changes next week will also close a loophole allowing for shorter period of disqualification for drivers who have accumulated penalty points. The move is intended to ensure that all those who meet the criteria for a ban receive the same sanction.
PARC wants a timeline from the Government for the full implementation of the provisions in the Act.
Responses to Parliamentary Questions, submitted by Fine Gael TD Emer Currie, show that garda access to the IMID led to almost 27,000 charges and summons being issued for uninsured driving in 2024.
It also coincided with a 67% increase in the number of vehicles seized for being driven without insurance last year.
The driver number is in section 4(d) of an Irish driving licence or learner permit. Those renewing or taking out insurance policies from next week are being advised to familiarise themselves with the new guidelines.
