Do I need paper insurance documents anymore?

TiGeR KiNgS

Hi guys,,

Do I need to carry paper insurance documents in my car these days ?
or
Can I use my smartphone with its access to my AXA online account ?

Cheers.

CiniO

AFAIK all you need to carry with you is insurance disc on your windscreen.
But maybe I'm wrong.

ba_barabus

CiniO wrote: »

AFAIK all you need to carry with you is insurance disc on your windscreen.
But maybe I'm wrong.

I've been on to Axa twice in the past two weeks asking for my discs to be sent out. Still nothing has arrived.

Can't remember if I can get fined for it though

CiniO

ba_barabus wrote: »

I've been on to Axa twice in the past two weeks asking for my discs to be sent out. Still nothing has arrived.

Can't remember if I can get fined for it though

Of course you can.
Only first 10 days after obtaining policy cover you are not obliged to display disc. After that you must have it.

ba_barabus

CiniO wrote: »

Of course you can.
Only first 10 days after obtaining policy cover you are not obliged to display disc. After that you must have it.

I must ask them who pays the fine if they don't send them out. It's not a situation I've encountered before.

razorgil

you can be fined at the time, if you don't have a disc displayed on the windscreen, unless you can claim that you're waiting for it to be posted out to you

ba_barabus

razorgil wrote: »

you can be fined at the time, if you don't have a disc displayed on the windscreen, unless you can claim that you're waiting for it to be posted out to you

I can but it would be an irritating experience to go through.

Neilw

ba_barabus wrote: »

I've been on to Axa twice in the past two weeks asking for my discs to be sent out. Still nothing has arrived.

Can't remember if I can get fined for it though

AFAIK they don't send the cert/disc out anymore, you can print a legal cert/disc on a colour printer and cut out the disc section.
Another option is to call into an Axa branch and they will print the documents for you.

keithclancy

They should standardise it and put it on a credit card sized thing so you can keep it in your wallet.

That's what mine is anyway.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

keithclancy wrote: »

They should standardise it and put it on a credit card sized thing so you can keep it in your wallet.

That's what mine is anyway.

Oh no that would be too progressive for Ireland! (would be great though)

Gosub

keithclancy wrote: »

They should standardise it and put it on a credit card sized thing so you can keep it in your wallet.

That's what mine is anyway.

Yeah, I have to say that I'm finding it odd driving around with half a forest of paper in my windscreen after driving for 13 years in Spain with a clear screen. The only thing needed over there is a small test sticker when your car goes over 4 years old.

The tax (€34 a year on a 1.4) and insurance don't need any screen paperwork.

C'mon Ireland, catch up!

ninty9er

My wallet is already too crowded, no more cards please.

OP: phone AXA and tell them you've been stopped at a checkpoint and given 10 days to produce. Ask at the end if your call has been recorded.

Mycroft H

ninty9er wrote: »

My wallet is already too crowded, no more cards please.

OP: phone AXA and tell them you've been stopped at a checkpoint and given 10 days to produce. Ask at the end if your call has been recorded.

Tis grand the way it is. Be even better if the discs were half the size too.

ninty9er

Mycroft H wrote: »

Tis grand the way it is. Be even better if the discs were half the size too.

I would like it if I didn't need a holder and discs just stuck to the windscreen like my parking permit.

Mycroft H

ninty9er wrote: »

I would like it if I didn't need a holder and discs just stuck to the windscreen like my parking permit.

Yea, like the Test Cert in the North. That would work well.

ba_barabus

Called them and told them I was stopped at a checkpoint last and have been given 10 days to produce. The call centre in Derry is blaming a bug in the system and will forward them directly to me rather than route them through the printers in Dublin.

ironclaw

ninty9er wrote: »

My wallet is already too crowded, no more cards please.

Yeah I agree. The chances of forgetting your wallet is far higher than forgetting your windscreen :pac: Anyway, it should go completely paperless and be based off your driving license (i.e. Allow you to drive all cars, the coverage is on you not the car itself) or if we must maintain the stupidity of policy tied to a car, the just have it listed on the reg. There is no technological reason why this can't be done. Just pure laziness by all involved.

uck51js9zml2yt

ninty9er wrote: »

I would like it if I didn't need a holder and discs just stuck to the windscreen like my parking permit.

You mean like they do in Slovakia

Alun

I see they're scrapping tax discs (the only one required there) in the UK as well. Time for Ireland to do the same x3, remove that eyesore from our windscreens, and finally move into the 21st century.

keithclancy

ninty9er wrote: »

My wallet is already too crowded, no more cards please.

OP: phone AXA and tell them you've been stopped at a checkpoint and given 10 days to produce. Ask at the end if your call has been recorded.

If my wallet is too full then I just keep it in the Cars wallet :P

The whole discs and paper are a thing of the past, there's no reason why they cannot standardise the format and put all the relevant information on piece of plastic that won't get wet/torn/damaged.

They did it for the driving licenses, no reason why they cannot do it for proof of insurance.

Mycroft H

How will Gardai speedily check your NCT/Tax/Insurance at a checkpoint now? Not all cars have ANPR.

ironclaw

Mycroft H wrote: »

How will Gardai speedily check your NCT/Tax/Insurance at a checkpoint now? Not all cars have ANPR.

No reason why ANPR can't be rolled out fleet wide. Also, its far easier to falsify a disk than it would be to go to the hassle of fooling ANPR (You'd need a fake plate that had valid tax / insurance and NCT)

ba_barabus

ironclaw wrote: »

No reason why ANPR can't be rolled out fleet wide

I've got one €€€€€€€

Mycroft H

ba_barabus wrote: »

I've got one €€€€€€€

That's exactly it. And exactly why we'll have discs for many years to come.

Del2005

ba_barabus wrote: »

I've got one €€€€€€€

If they got rid of the tax offices they could buy ANPR for every car, bike and segway they have. The costs of the current paper based system is huge, for tax/insurance /NCT, and much easier to defraud than a completely technology based system.

ironclaw

ba_barabus wrote: »

I've got one €€€€€€€

Not really. In car ANPR isn't that overly sophisticated nor expensive. We were doing similar tech way back in the early 90's when a decent camera alone cost €1000's. I think our issue in Ireland is employing 'consultants' on multimillion euro contracts to advise, when we could just tender or consult the companies themselves. Anyway, the current system (I believe) is running off a local, manually updated USB key as opposed to updating live over the network. Joined up thinking it is not.

djimi

The country is broke, Gardai cannot even afford to hire the required man power. Its a nice idea in theory to roll out APNR nationwide and do away with windscreen discs, but in reality there are far more important things to be spending money on right now. Its not going to happen in this country in the foreseeable future.

Gosub

Would it not be self-financing though? If all cars had ANPR - and even some at fixed locations - would the resulting fines, and probably extra motor tax revenue, not pay for the system? Maybe even generate a profit.

I'm sure most of the chancers driving around without tax or insurance would be less likely to chance it if there was a real probability of getting caught.

ironclaw

djimi wrote: »

The country is broke, Gardai cannot even afford to hire the required man power. Its a nice idea in theory to roll out APNR nationwide and do away with windscreen discs, but in reality there are far more important things to be spending money on right now. Its not going to happen in this country in the foreseeable future.

Agree with the finances and lack of man power, but as I said on the Speed Camera thread, if GoSafe was doing tax / insurance / NCT at the same time (Entirely possible) it would actually be doing the work of 100's of Gardai night and day. Add a few vans to the Garda fleet and some gantries, and you'll literally do away with any Tax / Insurance / NCT checkpoints, which would in turn free up Traffic Corp a great deal. Automation if implemented correctly reduced the cost and free's up man power. The issue is within the public sector its never implemented right :rolleyes:

djimi

ironclaw wrote: »

Agree with the finances and lack of man power, but as I said on the Speed Camera thread, if GoSafe was doing tax / insurance / NCT at the same time (Entirely possible) it would actually be doing the work of 100's of Gardai night and day. Add a few vans to the Garda fleet and some gantries, and you'll literally do away with any Tax / Insurance / NCT checkpoints, which would in turn free up Traffic Corp a great deal. Automation if implemented correctly reduced the cost and free's up man power. The issue is within the public sector its never implemented right :rolleyes:

The problem with the GoSafe vans is that I usually pass maybe 2-3 a month tops. There would need to be a lot more cameras on the road to make such a system effective. APNR in every Garda car would go a long way towards allowing for an automated system, however that is where the finances are going to become an issue.

sproggy13

I am having the same problem with AXA. Renewed with them 18th. February and still not received documents. Rang again on 11th. March and given speal about payment not received? Still waiting.

ironclaw

djimi wrote: »

The problem with the GoSafe vans is that I usually pass maybe 2-3 a month tops. There would need to be a lot more cameras on the road to make such a system effective. APNR in every Garda car would go a long way towards allowing for an automated system, however that is where the finances are going to become an issue.

Stick a fleet of these vans on the Quays in Dublin, Naas Road and a few motorways. And you'll recoup the loss in about a month I'd say. By the time the chancers figure out this is what the vans are doing, the fines will already be issued. If implemented properly, I believe it could easily be self financing or at the very least a minimum loss. And once again, the tech in speed camera vans is perfectly capable of implementing this functionality.

ba_barabus

sproggy13 wrote: »

I am having the same problem with AXA. Renewed with them 18th. February and still not received documents. Rang again on 11th. March and given speal about payment not received? Still waiting.

I'd sort that ASAP as if you haven't paid you may not have any insurance cover.

No discs yet but I'll give them till Friday.

sproggy13

I am paying by dd since early 90's. Rang again yesterday and they said they could'nt understand what happened and doc's/disc will arrive Friday. We will see? :rolleyes:

ba_barabus

Update: no discs.

Called again and got through to the Clonmel branch who seem to have the issue sorted. They informed me the only discs sent to me were sent last Monday by the call center in Derry as promised but they still haven't arrived yet. While on the phone she printed them and addressed the envelope and posted them so I will have them on Monday. PITA