MIJAG - Motor Insurance Justice Action Group

News Update - Plans for Action Against Insurance Companies in New Year
MIJAG has being keep a relatively low profile recently, while waiting for the various reports and Government initiatives to take effect. However almost one year after the MIAB report was published little has happened to the huge insurance premiums being paid by young drivers with over €6000 still the going rate for beginners. This despite the MIAB reporting excessive profiteering by the insurance companies on young driver premiums. The changes in the accident statistics evident over recent weeks should have an immediate effect on premiums. But here again the companies are dragging their heels.

In the new year MIJAG will re-group and we will be advocating some direct action against the insurance companies who refuse to budge on premiums and continue to rip-off young drivers.

MIJAG gives cautious welcome to Insurance cost reduction plans but would like to see a "Plan B".
"MIJAG the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group welcomes the announcements by the Government to implement in full the MIAB recommendations but would like to hear what is the Plan B if there is no improvement in the situation" said MIJAG National Organiser Mick Murphy. "It is likely that there will still be premiums of €5,000 - €6,000 being paid by people under 25 at the end of this. more>>>

MIJAG asks to see Harney's Plan B for lowering the cost of Insurance
MIJAG the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group has asked to see Mary Harney's Plan B for lowering the cost of insurance in the event of the MIAB recommendations failing. "The report just out by Peter Bacon argues that the Personal Injury Assessment Board may drive up the cost of insurance. There may be more than a grain of truth in this and we would like to know what Ms Harney intends doing in the event of the MIAB recommendations failing" said Mick Murphy the National Organiser of MIJAG. more>>>

General Meeting - Abberley Court Hotel, Tallaght
There will be a General meeting of the Campaign in Dublin at 2pm on Saturday September 7th in the Abberley Court Hotel in Tallaght (click for map). There we will discuss the MIAB report and various possibilities for action by the campaign including a march to the Dáil on the day it opens at the end of September or even possible occupation of an insurance company or Government offices over the lack of progress to date. Click here for a report and recommendations on the campaign which will be the main item on the agenda at this campaign meeting.

Summer News Update
The Campaign is in wait and see mode over the summer. The Implementation body for the MIAB report is due to report soon and unless there is some progress made by the autumn the campaign will have to look at its next move. Almost all the Politicians made promises on this issue during the election and some (who had nothing to do with MIJAG) even claimed to be spearheading the campaign. We will soon have to put it up to these people to deliver on this issue.

We have managed to pay off half of the €1,500 election debt but would welcome all donations from supporters be they big or small. Donations can be sent to MIJAG, c/o 78 Whitechurch Way, Dublin 16.

Full MIAB Report Finally Released
MIJAG welcomes the publication of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board's Report and congratulate the MIAB Committee for its good work. It is official now that Ireland has a very expensive, in-efficient and profitable motor insurance industry that is in need of radical surgery. After years of excuses for inaction, the Government finally has nowhere to hide. The report came to some pretty damning conclusions including:

Insurance companies make profits on policyholders of all ages apart from a small percentage of 17-18 year olds with a provisional licence. They make their biggest profits on young drivers.
Policyholders aged 19-24 are a very profitable segment for the motor insurance industry. In 1997 the 19-24 age cohort which accounts for just 8% of exposure produced a surplus of almost £9.5 million (28% of the total surplus reported for 1997).
Litigation costs (legal and expert fees) add 40% to every €1 paid in compensation for injury sustained in motor accidents.
Vested interests and inefficiencies may collectively account for as much as half the premium paid by the law-abiding motorist
Motor Insurers in Ireland reported 11 times the post tax profit earned by their UK counterparts between 1983 and 1999
Charges for young female policyholders are not justified by their claims cost and these policyholders have been described by insurers as "subsidisers"
The board also registered particular concern about the position of senior citizens and those managing disabilities

We will bring you the full text of the report as soon as we get our hands on a copy of it.

Click here to read the MIJAG press release on the final MIAB report

Irish Pay Highest Insurance in the World
Details contained in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) Working Group Report on Personal Injury Compensation just released graphically illustrates the extent to which the Irish Motorist are being ripped off for car insurance. "Less than half of the money collected in premiums actually find its way back to injured parties. The rest is eaten up by the insurance companies in administration charges, legal costs and other "experts" who are making a tidy living of the backs of people misery" said Mick Murphy the National Organiser of MIJAG the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group. more>>>

David Green Election Result
David Green stayed in until the fouth count and eventually went out on 1313 votes. He was the strongest independent candidate with all others being eliminated before the fourth count. more>>>

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David Green Election Campaign Car Protest
At 6pm on Saturday May 11th there will be a car protest in support of the David Green election campaign more>>>

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Dublin, Cork and Limerick Public Meeting With Politicians
There are three major public events in the coming weeks. The campaigns in Dublin, Cork and Limerick have organised public meetings and invited all the political parties along to explain what they intend doing on the car insurance issue.

Dublin: Thursday April 11th at 8pm in the Green Isle Hotel on the Naas Road. All the political parties are being asked to send a spokesperson. We will be targeting Mary Harney in particular as the meeting is in her constituency and is the same area David Green is running.

Cork: Monday 8th April at 8pm in the Silver Springs Hotel.

Limerick: Monday 15th April at 8pm in the Royal George Hotel.

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Cork Protest and Election Campaign Meeting
The Cork Campaign has a protest on Sunday March 10th starting from the Ballyphehane Community Centre on Tory Top Road at 3pm. There will be a meeting after the protest to discuss the work of the campaign during the General Election.

Tipperary Meeting with Politicians
75 People turned up at the Public Meeting with Politicians in Clonmel last Monday. Councillor Billy Shaw from the Clonmel Corporation is the Tipperary organiser of the campaign. A Car Protest is to be organised in Clonmel as soon as the General Election is called.

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Young Drivers Nominate 21 Year Old David Green as General Election Candidate
MIJAG members have nominated 21 year old David Green to stand in the Dublin Mid-West constituency (Clondakin/Lucan) against Mary Harney in the general election.. more>>>

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Cork Car Protest - Sat 9th February
The Cork branch of MIJAG have organised a car protest to coincide with the MIAB report. The protest will start at 2pm from the Lee Fields and proceed to the city centre from there.

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Motor Insurance Advisory Board Report (MIAB) Leaked
The first sight of the MIAB report has caused quite a stir with the insurance industry and in particular the legal industry getting a lashing for "Failing to become lean and keen" . Dorothea Dowling who chaired the Board is quoted in the Examiner as saying, "Nobody has been watching them and taking account. And if nobody is watching them, they do what they want and get away with it". more>>>

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MIJAG consider running canditate in General Election
The campaign is opening up a debate about the possibility of running a MIJAG candidate in the General Election to be held in May. This was discussed at length at the December General Meeting of the Campaign and it was agreed to put the following proposal to our supporters before a final decision is made at a further General Meeting to be held in the Abberley Court Hotel in Tallaght on Wednesday 30th of January at 8pm. more>>>

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Equal Status Case Turned Down on Techniciality
Unfortunately we have to report that David Green's case before the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations (ODEI) has been turned down on a technicality. David took out the insurance policy before the Equal Status Bill came into affect and even though we argued the discrimination has been on going, the ODEI didn't think his case would stand up in the event of a court appeal as the original contract date is what counts according to them. more>>>

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Car Protest to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fhéis- 13th October
Well done to all who attended the car protest to the FF Ard Fhéis last Saturday. The protest looked great and we managed to launch the campaign at very successful public meetings in Tipperary and Galway on the run up to the protest. more>>>

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Young Drivers ask to meet the National Safety Council
Click here to see a letter sent to Eddie Shaw of the National Safety Council requesting a meeting with young drivers.

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Insurance campaigners welcome announcement by Hibernian
MIJAG, the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group has broadly welcomed the announcement by Hibernian to enter the young driver insurance market...Read the press release>>>

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Satellite Tracking of Young Drivers - "A Propaganda Stunt"
The idea of the Insurance Company AXA sponsoring a trial of a satellite tracking system for young drivers has been slammed as "a propaganda stunt" by Mick Murphy, the National Organiser of MIJAG (the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group). Read the press release>>>

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National Safety Council/AXA Propaganda Campaign against Young Drivers
MIJAG agrees with using advertising to get across a safety message but objects strongly to the use of an ad campaign and using the NSC in the propaganda war that has been going on over the past 12 months between young drivers and the insurance industry. Young drivers (Under 25) make up 6% of all drivers and account for 12.1% of all car drivers killed and injured on the roads each year. The impression given in these ad campaigns is young drivers are the cause of all ills on Irish roads. To focus a campaign on safety belt use on young drivers is particularly annoying. The seat belt ad, which should be aimed at all drivers, features only young drivers who are a tiny minority of the total. Obviously the campaign sponsors AXA have a big say in the advertising content and are trying to create an impression about young drivers to justify £4,000+ insurance premiums being charged by their subsidiary the PMPA.

MIJAG argues that the NSC should be fully state sponsored and run advertising campaigns without interference from a major sponsor such as AXA.

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Insurance Boycott
MIJAG has been give assurance that the various Government reports that are now in the pipeline will be completed before the end of this year. However the timing of these reports may suit the Government to use as propaganda in a General Election and they may not act on recommendations. If there is not swift Government action following these reports MIJAG is actively preparing for a "Nuclear Option". The UK option (see below) is one possibility being looked at. Another possibility is a full boycott, including the option of taking cars off the road for a period. The only thing that will not be accepted is a continuation of the "Rip-Off" and the status quo which the insurance companies are trying so hard to preserve.

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Insure Your Car in the UK??
The campaign has learned that it is possible to insure Irish Registered cars in the UK. For example if you go to work there (even if only for a while) and are living at a UK address you will have no problem insuring an Irish car at a fraction of the costs. Use a UK address of a relative or friend and try for a quote yourself at http://www.directline.com/. However if you return to live here you will not be able to use anything other than an Irish issued insurance certificate to tax a car here. MIJAG has sought legal advice from a Cork supporter on this and believe it is quite possibly against EC rules. If you have any ideas or legal expertise on this please email us - info@mijag.com.

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SIPTU's arrangement with One Direct
If you are a member of the SIPTU Trade Union, you should get on to your local Branch official about the arrangement SIPTU has with One Direct. That company will not quote people under the age of 27. A huge number of SIPTU members are under the age of 27 and many are low paid and certainly could not afford a car at the present cost of insurance. Organisation like SIPTU should be adding their weight to the campaign to have this sorted out and not promoting companies that are part of the problem.

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Full Text of Interium MIAB Report now available here - 29/March/2000
The MIAB interm report has certainly put the cat amongst the Pigeons. Tens days ago we seemed to be the only ones shouting about this problem but as someone said today "if the bandwagon won't go away , you should jump up on top of it". All of a sudden we have lots of allies in high places. The question now isn't so much if something will be done on this issue but what.

Here is the full text of the now famous MIAB report. The Government are coming under huge pressure to take serious action as a result of this. Bertie Ahern even had to comment on the matter. MIJAG can take some credit for this report. It was the poiltical pressure brought about by our campaign which gave the work of the MIAB a significantly increased profile and created an environment where the Insurance Industry could no longer hide. One of the aims of our case under the Equal Status Bill was to use the powers of investigation contained in that act to get a look at the Insurance Companies Books. The MIAB got their before us and credit due to those people for doing a thorough job despite resistance from the industry and clearly lack of support from the Government that set them up.

Many of our supporters have been back on to the Campaign explaining the immediate response they got after contacting the TDs. Remember it is a rare thing for a young person to contact a politician, so do not underestimate the affect it can have. We have a golden opportunity to have our case heard right now so please e-mail local TDs and tell them you story in full. Government TDs should be asked why they sat on this report since last June and took no action.

We now want the whole approach to Motor Insurance in this country reviewed. We want young drivers insured at the average premium of £480 and no increases to apply unless safety related driving offences have been committed.

We got our hands on the full text of the MIAB report using the Freedom of Information Act 1997.

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Ray Fuller
The Campaign has made contact with Ray Fuller, a Trinity College Psychology Lecturer who is internationally recognised as an expert in driving habits. He has written some very interesting papers on the subject of young driver habits. Ray and his colleagues made a submission to the Irish Insurance Federation in the past arguing that young drivers should be insured at the average premium at first. Breaches of Road Safety rules would lead to potential huge increases and this lever could be used to good affect to encourage safer driving. You can read Ray's paper entitled "BREAKING THE LAW: EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR YOUNG DRIVER SAFETY" here.

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Young Drivers to meet politicians in Galway
Young Drivers from all over Galway will be meeting in the Renmore Community Centre Galway at 8pm on Wednesday October 10th. The meeting is being organised by MIJAG supporters in Galway in conjunction with the National Campaign. Local Politicians and political parties are being asked to send representatives to the meeting to discuss what they can do to stop the "Rip off" of young drivers by the insurance companies and to discuss road safety initiatives.

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Sponsored "Trip to Tipp" - Cashel
83 young drivers representing 7 Counties attended the meeting and sponsored drive in Cashel Co Tipperary on Sunday July 15th. The main feature of the day was a very informative public meeting followed by a protest drive to Urlingford and back. The counties represented were Tipperary, Kilkenny, Limerick, Clare, Cork, Cavan and Dublin. The groups from Kilkenny and Tipperary agreed to call local meetings to set up MIJAG in those counties. It was agreed to target ten areas for major public meetings when the General Election is eventually called. By the time an election is called the Motor Insurance Advisory Board's report will be published and politicians can be put on the spot about what they intend doing to End the Rip-Off. Registering of MIJAG supporters to vote will be a main feature following this round of meetings. We are waiting for sponsorship money to come in before we have a final figure. The money will be kept by MIJAG to pay for publicity around the events being organised in the Autumn.

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Latest Campaign News - 17/June/2001
The campaign is in a relatively quiet period at the moment while we wait for a number of official investigations to be concluded. The key report we are waiting for is the final report of the MIAB (Motor Insurance Advisory Board). If the final report is anything like the interim report (See full text here) big changes are on the way for the motor insurance industry. Once that report is published we will have to put huge pressure on the politicians to reform the whole way motor insurance is done in this country.

The other investigations that are being worked on are the Dáil Committee on Enterprise and Small Business and the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations.

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Insurance companies recalled to Joint Oireachtas Committee
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business is meeting on Tuesday 8th May at 4pm. The Irish Insurance Federation has been re-called to explain the assertion they made last October that the insurance companies do not make profits from insuring young drivers. This session of the committee may be televised.

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Other Campaign News (16th April 2001)
The test case we have taken under the Equal Status Bill is moving along with the insurance company involved, Quinn Direct responding to our claims. The Equality Authority is under a lot of pressure to fully investigate this case.

The Government's Motor Insurance Advisory Board (MIAB) are due to report within the next few months. They have asked to see the insurance companies books so that they can give an accurate assessment to the Government. So far the MIAB have shown themselves well capable of cutting through the secrecy surrounding the Motor Insurance Industry and we support them in their demand to see the "Raw Data". The Government Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business will hear further submissions from the Industry and the MIAB in May. This time they are likely to be more probing with their questions and as these meetings are televised their will be a lot of people watching the proceedings with interest.

It is clear now that out of all of this their will be some major changes in the way the Motor Insurance Industry will operate in this country. Motor Insurance is the only financial service that is made compulsory in law and from now on the Government is bound to keep a close watch on the details of the goings on inside that industry. That will have some affect on the cost of young drivers insurance.

However we do not want the chance of a major overhaul of the system lost. Crucially we want to see a persons safety record tied closely to premiums. A first time driver should be charged the average premium. This should only rise if safety related driving offences are committed and proven in court. We also believe all first time drivers should receive driver training and regular re-fresher courses. We have made further contacts in Canada so that we can understand in detail the workings of their system, which we understand in-corporate this principle.

The next few months will be very interesting and we will keep all our supporters informed as events unfold. Keep up the pressure on Politicians. We have received a lot of mail from people who contacted TD's and got replies.

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Equal Status Case Update
MIJAG had to submit further material on the David Green test case. You can read the text of the submission here. It will be months before this procedure is gone through in full. It remains to be seen how much effort the Equality Authority put in to investigating this case.

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Equal Status Bill.
David Green a young driver from Clonsilla in Dublin has agreed to become the test case for MIJAG under this new law. David is paying £4,078 to insure a small car and has no accident record. We formally handed in the submission at the Equality Authority Offices on Monday February 19th and are awaiting a response. The paper work for this case can be customised in future for other people and any number of follow on cases can be submitted. If David is successful he could get up to £5,000 in compensation.

CORK CAR PROTEST - Saturday 28th April @ 1:30pm
Congratulations to the Cork Campaign who had another successful car protest last Saturday 28th April. They are now making plans for a country run which will take them around the large towns in County Cork.

The past few weeks have been eventful for the campaign. There have been protests, meetings, submissions to a Dáil Committee and lots of media coverage.

At a national level we are still waiting for the Equal Status Bill 2000 to be signed into effect. Four members of the Dublin campaign attended the Dáil Small Business and Enterprise Committee. An hour long submission and discussion were taken. There was strong support for our ideas indicated at this meeting. The Committee made up of TDs and Senators have decided to make this their only business for the next few months. The Insurance Federation were on after MIJAG that day and in the future they are to get the Gardai, the Minister and anyone else they feel necessary along to their meetings. MIJAG will be invited back again. The idea of a State run Insurance Scheme for young drivers with premiums set at the average (£480) went down very well.

The Cork Campaign had an excellent protest on October 14th. There was huge local interest and support. The next meeting of the Cork campaign is Wednesday November 8th at 8pm in Jury's. There will be a protest outside the PMPA offices on Oliver Plunket Street at 1pm on Thursday November 16th. People are being asked to bring their own placards saying how much they are quoted and the size of the car.

The next car cruise in Cork will be Saturday December 9th at 2pm from the Lee Fields.

The Dublin campaign was hoping to organise a Car Protest to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, however that event is not until next April now. Campaign members will meet up in the main lounge of the Abberley Court Hotel in Tallaght at 9pm on Wednesday 1st to discuss what to do instead. People should get together in the Reception area between 9pm and 9.15pm.

Countrywide there is a lot of interest in the Campaign. Media in Donegal and Meath have covered the campaigns work. The most interesting e-mail received lately was one from a French national who is now living here. He has five years accident free driving in France and was insured with Axa there. When he went to get insurance here, Axa in Dublin asked him for £2400, six times as much as in France.

MIJAG has been set up from a well attended Public meeting organised by the local Socialist Party Branch in Wexford. The Campaign has invited all local Politicians to a Public Meeting in Whites Hotel, Wexford at 8pm on Monday November 27th. They will be asking the Wexford Corporation and County Council to pass motions condemning the car insurance rip-off of young drivers. The next campaign meeting is in the Westgate Pub at 8pm on Wednesday Nov 1st.

The Cork meeting on June 19th was a brillant success. All 10 Cork TDs and 153 people (nearly all young drivers) turned up. It was clear that the TD's were there because they were getting a lot of hassel over the issue. TD's rarely meet young people and know something must be seriously wrong if they are being contacted by young drivers. The answer to this problem lies almost entirely with the Government, so it is very important that everyone goes to the trouble of tracking down at least one local TD and giving them an earful on this.

During the summer the Campaign needs to get some money together to publicise the protests in Cork and Dublin during the first week in October when the Dáil re-opens. Anyone who got Car Stickers and didn't pay in for them yet (a lot didn't pay) should send the money to the campaign, c/o 78 Whitechurch Way, Dublin 16. Anyone who wants car stickers to sell can do a whip around and send in the money. You will be sent 1 sticker for every £1 send in.

We had an excellent meeting in Cork on Tuesday night (May 16th). Over 70 people attended and the campaign received a lot of media coverage. A Cork branch of MIJAG was set up with Mick Barry as the local organiser. There is a further meeting on Thursday 25th at 8.00 PM in Jurys Hotel on the Western Road to plan a Public Meeting with the Politicians in July.

A Dublin meeting will be called for June and we will be back in touch with people regarding this.

Saturday's protest went off very well. There was 120 cars there and it stretched for over a mile, taking 2 hours to get from Tallaght to town and back. There were no incidents, the whole thing was very lively, noisy and good humoured. There was huge public support for us, with people cheering, buses, trucks, etc beeping and so on. Most of the cars came from South West Dublin with the north side, Louth, Cavan, Kildare and Cork also represented.

At the follow up meeting in Tallaght we agreed to :

1. Get onto TDs about the issue and in particular ask when is the report from the Motor Insurance Advisory Committee going to be published. Simply phone the Dáil at 01-6183333 and ask for any TD from your area and you will be put through to their office.

2. There will be a campaign meeting in early June to discuss what to do over the summer, including when the next car protest is to be. The most likely date is probably the day the Dáil re-opens in late October. That is a long way off and in the mean time we must continue to build the camaign and get on to the Politicians.

3. The campaign needs money to clear small debths and to publicise any meetings, protests and so on that we organise. The main way we will fund the campaign is by selling car window stickers. We have a very good one available. All campaign supporters are asked to buy stickers at £1 each and sell them on to friends. If you want stickers, send cheques or postal orders to MIJAG, c/o 78 Whitechurch Way, Dublin 16.

People should note, we are not talking big money to run a campaign like this, but for instance we could have done a lot more postering for Saturday's protest but we couldnt afford it. We do not want that to happen the next time. Also, accounts are presented at all internal meetings of the campaign.

Regards
Mick Murphy (Campaign Organiser)

You can view pictures taken at this car protest here.

The meeting in Tallaght on the 21st was attended by 150 people. There was a very determined and angry mood at the meeting. It was twice the size of our last meeting with a lot more areas represented. The four TD's present were left in no doubt that this issue better be sorted out or they will face huge anger in the next election. We got media coverage on TV3, the Herald, the Examiner, the Tallaght Echo and possibly others that we are not aware of yet.

We have changed our name to MIJAG, which stands for the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group.

"The Motor Insurance Action Group will organise mass car protests in defiance of any attempt to apply a curfew to young drivers" said Mick Murphy the campaign organiser. "Apart from anything else how are the young workers who feed the celtic tiger on evening and night shift to get to work" Mr Murphy said. "This is just a gimmick by the insurance industry supported by their friends in politics. Anything rather than tackle the real issues involved." said Mick Murphy. "For instance Denmark does not differentiate by age or gender but only by car type when it comes to insurance. Swedish school children are taught to drive before they leave school. Drivers should be assumed innocent until proven guilty. Lots of young drivers have years of accident free driving on there parents policies but this counts for nothing when it comes to getting their own cover.". Mr Murphy went on to say "The insurance industry which routinely charges young drivers over £3000 and more for insurance are trying to divert attention away from this rip off. They are trying to hold all young drivers responsible for the sins of a few." " They are also using contradictory statistics. The Irish Insurance federation factfile 1998 page 27 says the relative claims cost (a combination of frequency and cost of claims) for non-comprehensive insurance was 97% higher for policyholders aged between 17 and 24 than it was for the 36 to 40 age group. For comprehensive insurance, it was 66% higher. That means young drivers are less than twice the average risk. Lately they are talking about four times the risk. "

"We have by far the lowest number of young drivers in Europe (6 out of 100 under 24 compared to 14 for Europe). This in a country with a woefully inadequate public transport system. This problem needs a serious approach not gimmicks" said Mr Murphy.