The Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has today, 22nd December, 2010, launched a public consultation process seeking the views of all interested parties on the development of proposals to regulate written-off vehicles in Ireland.
This is a very welcome development and something that Motorcheck has previously identified as a very serious issue for Irish motorists. Whilst our vehicle history checks have always included a detailed write-off check for UK vehicles the absence of data for vehicles written off in Ireland has meant that Irish car buyers are at considerable risk.
We estimate that there are over 100,000 vehicles written off in Ireland every year. Only a small number of these (those categorised as A / B) are notified to the National Vehicle and Driver File leaving a majority number free to be repaired and resold without any official record identifying its previous history.
Reformed Legislative Base
The consultation document states 'As the standard of vehicles on our roads is fundamental to road safety, it is proposed that the current administrative system to deal with written-off vehicles be enhanced and strengthened through a legislative base.
Importantly, this legislative base would clearly define the written-off vehicle categories which must be permanently prohibited from road use. It would also set out the categories of written-off vehicles that can again be used on our roads if repaired correctly.'
Consultation Document
The consultation document “Regulating Written-off Vehicles” sets out Ireland’s current policy and considers best practice internationally and seeks the input of stakeholders on regulation, classification and safety issues associated with written-off vehicles.
Consultation DocumentYou can download the document by clicking on the icon opposite.
The consultative process lasts until Friday 4 February 2011 and interested parties are invited to send their views to: writeoffconsultation@rsa.ie
or in writing to:
Written-off Vehicle Consultation,
Vehicle Standards Section,
Road Safety Authority,
Moy Valley Business Park,
Primrose Hill,
Ballina,
Co Mayo.