A number of motorists are unsuspectingly driving around without their vehicles being registered and with duplicate licence plates.
DAILY NATION investigations revealed that this problem may have resulted from a system instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic, where insurance companies were advised to submit the information on insured vehicles to the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA), who would then submit the information to the Barbados Licensing Authority (BLA).
However, while the insurers have been sending off the information as well as uploading it onto the BRA’s online portal, sources said many motorists have been discovering that their vehicles were not registered and that their licence numbers were being used by others.
When contacted, Gina Welch, administrator with the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB), confirmed that it was an ongoing issue which insurance companies had been drawing to the attention of the association.
Submitting information
“The GIAB asked the insurance companies to submit the information to the BRA, so they’ve been submitting it annually, but it seems
like something has gone wrong. The issue is a governmental issue and so unfortunately, outside of the fact that we do know that people have had the issue, we have recommended to our members to tell their underwriters to advise clients to take their documentation in – their cover notes and their certificates – to the BLA.”
Welch said when the situation was drawn to their attention, they issued a public notice last year advising people to do such.
However, one insurance executive noted that the issue was compounded when Government did away with the annual registration of road tax. “That is when we started to have several complaints from our clients,” he said.
One woman who has been affected said she recently discovered her vehicle had not been registered for the past five years and that another had her registration number.
“A friend of mine was using my vehicle and he parked next to a vehicle which had my licence number. He took the picture and sent it to me. I was shocked. I contacted my insurance and they told me that they had been sending off my information every year to the BRA, which was supposed to send it to the Licensing Authority. My insurance company gave me a letter to take to the Licensing Authority.”
The woman said she went to the BLA’s office in The Pine, St Michael, but the reception she got left her angry.
“I spoke to a supervisor and the first thing she allowed me to know was that I don’t own my licence number. She refused to look at the letter which the insurance company had given me. She looked into their system and told me that the last time my vehicle was registered was in 2019, and that I would have to pay the $425 to register my vehicle again and get a new registration number.”
The upset woman said she then spoke to family members and friends and advised them to check to see if their vehicles were registered. She said many of them found out they were not.
“One of my friends even found out that her vehicle has not been registered for ten years,” she said.
The DAILY NATION reached out to the BRA and was advised that it would not be responding to our queries.
However, in a statement, the BLA said it knew of the situation.
“The Barbados Licensing Authority is aware of reports from private vehicle owners who have observed their assigned licence plate number appearing on another vehicle. The Authority takes these reports seriously and is actively reviewing each matter.
“Vehicle owners who believe their registration number has been incorrectly associated with another vehicle, despite being in insurance compliance, are asked to submit a written statement to the Chief Licensing Officer as soon as possible. Owners should provide proof of insurance from 2020 to present to allow for proper investigation and, where required, reallocation of the affected number.”
The BLA pointed out that during the COVID-19 period, “both the BLA and the [BRA] implemented a streamlined renewal process that allowed insurance companies to submit insurance compliance information directly to the BRA on behalf of their clients. This temporary measure supported the continuation of essential services at a time when inperson operations were
restricted.” It added: “When a private vehicle owner renews their insurance policy, the insurance company is required to transmit that policy information to the BRA, which is then incorporated into
the BLA’s licensing system. This data is used to verify insurance compliance and maintain accurate motor vehicle records, in keeping with Section 5(4) of the Road Traffic Act, which mandates annual registration.
“To help maintain accuracy and consistency during this period, the BRA had been collaborating with the General Insurance Association of Barbados, all general insurance companies, the BLA and the Barbados Police Service to improve data quality and timeliness.”
The BLA went on to state that in recent weeks, it has confirmed a limited number of duplicate registration plate numbers.
“The BLA continues to work closely with its stakeholders to ensure compliance and strengthen data submission practices.”
It listed the possible causes of duplicate plate numbers:
• Delayed transmission of insurance data during the COVID-19 period, which prevented updates to vehicle registrations and created an inaccurate pool of available numbers for reissue.
• Vehicles being off the road for extended periods (for example, due to mechanical issues) without notification to the BLA, resulting in the number being reallocated in accordance with Section 5(12), (13), and (14) of the Road Traffic Act.
• Individuals engaging in illegal activity, including deliberately duplicating registration numbers to place on uninsured or unregistered vehicles.
• Incomplete or delayed submissions of insurance renewal information from brokers and other agents to the BLA.
• When a persons sells a vehicle without removing the licence plate.
“At present, approximately 75 per cent of general insurance companies operating in Barbados are submitting policy data on a regular basis, and the BLA appreciates their cooperation. However, approximately 25 per cent of companies are still not providing timely updates, despite continued engagement. This gap affects the overall accuracy of the registration database,” it added. (MB)
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