Seanad debates
Wednesday, 14 May 2003
Road Safety: Motion.
The Government's policies in the insurance area have failed. We waited three years for the MIAB report, which was published over 18 months ago. The report's 69 recommendations have not yet been fully implemented. We have not seen a reduction in insurance costs. A 20 year old recently explained to me that he was quoted €3,000 to insure a car worth £1,000, which is crazy and defies logic. Good drivers should be rewarded by the insurance system. I have asked the Minister, in the last part of my amendment, to "publish the figures for those who are found guilty of having caused accidents on our roads". It is important that we are given the real figures, rather than the generalisations we often hear from insurance companies. We are often told that young people, especially males, are involved in car crashes but I would like figures to be published. Perhaps research could be conducted into the liability ascertained during court cases in which people have been found guilty or innocent. Such statistics, which would be very interesting for Senators, may be useful as backup when arguing that insurance companies should decrease premiums.
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