Garda able to check Tax/insurance with APNR

dimma02

See in todays paper that cops will soon be able to check car tax, NCT and Insurance etc, using number plate readers in their patrol cars. What do you think of this.....Can see how they can check tax/NCT but how will they check insurance as this is not done through local authorites..Do they have access to insurance database and if so is it up to date. Seen in UK where people get pulled over and have insurance but database is not up to date and this is Ireland after all????
Your thoughts on the whole thing

Fallon2304

System will be similar to one in UK. As seen on road wars. Car will be marked with no insurance on Database through all insurance companies, will then be pulled in and confirmed.

With everything to due with computers, there will be glitches, however, as a law abiding driver, if it keeps one uninsured driver off the road, it will be well worth it.

Too long in coming in my opinion.

FiSe

There is a few Garda vans on the roads already which are able to check for road tax through the No plate reading device... and, I believe, that the new Garda helicopter has the same device fitted as well

So it's only matter of updating the system.
It could take a couple of years before the device is fitted into standard Traffic Corps cars though, with all the cutbacks and all :rolleyes:

Drummerboy08

There are quite a few marked and unmarked Garda vehicles with this system in place already. Just look for the little black box on the boot lid.

Rowley Birkin QC

Saw my first yesterday in Harolds Cross, very obvious black box on the back of the car.

About time they got a system like this.

pippip

I was pulled in twice about two months ago with this system.

I had just sold my old car to my parents and hadn't transfered the reg book over and the system was reading that the car was taxed, under my name, but not insured. I was driving the car under the policy I got on my new car. I was having work done on the new one at the time.

They just checked details and off they went. It also happened to my parents and they had an insurance policy on the car but again the system didn't connect the two as the registration wasn't in their name.

Drummerboy08

I dont think it picks up insurance. Only tax AFAIK. Ask the lads over in the Emergency services forum.

bladespin

ANPR checks insurance through the national database, it's in the small print of your policy that the company can share your information with the authorities.

I've heard (hearsay) from a couple of Guards (off duty lol) that it was introduced early last year and went through a test pahse with flying colours.

pippip

Well the first thing they said to me was " its showing up on our computer that the car isn't insured!" They were definitely reading with the machine as one of them was in front of me at traffic lights. Its an old golf so doesn't attract general attention.