As from now, drivers no longer have to carry motor vehicle insurance papers with them under the new Obligatory Car Insurance Regulations.
It is now up to the police to consult the Insured Vehicle Database to check to see whether or not you are properly insured. In fact, insurance companies have, on a daily basis, been entering client details on the database since 1995, which makes all the requests to see insurance payment receipts a little bit redundant and a complete waste of police time. Also, drivers who have been fined, up to €60, for not having the insurance receipt about their person could feel justifiably aggrieved.
The Government is also being asked to modify the law so that it is no longer obligatory to carry a set of spare headlamp, brake light and indicator bulbs plus the tools required to change them, as new cars are fitted with xenon lights which have to be changed by a mechanic. However, until this obsolete law is actually changed, you can still be fined.