THE Insurance Association of Jamaica (IAJ) will be rolling out next month its Insurance Vehicle Information System (IVIS), which it says will significantly aid the sifting out of uninsured motor vehicles from the nation’s roads.

IVIS is a database of all the vehicles that are insured in Jamaica. This unique motor insurance database in Jamaica will allow the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) and the police to establish the insurance status of a vehicle without requesting physical documents from drivers.

This process will reduce the amount of people driving vehicles with fraudulent insurance documents, thus exposing motorists and pedestrians to uninsured vehicles.

IAJ President Vernon James explained that in due course the IVIS system will facilitate a digital process to get vehicles licensed with the TAJ.

Speaking at the IAJ presidential handover function last week, James pointed to the numerous initiatives to improve motor insurance in Jamaica such as IVIS and the new protocols for insurance claims management.

“The IAJ will this year be focusing on improving claims management as one of the areas of great concern by the insuring public,” James shared.

He pointed out that a number of initiatives started start last year to improve claims management with the use of new protocols. These new protocols sought to put in place some type of established precedence in addition to an improved internal arbitration system wherein parties with no interest in a case assist in its settlement, thus bringing objectivity and expertise to the process.

IMPROVED MOTOR CLAIMS PROCESS

James, who is also the general manager of NCB Insurance, explained that these processes will be advanced by the use of more technology to expedite the claims process.

The insurance industry in Jamaica settles over 50,000 motor claims each year.

He conceded that in terms of customer service in the motor insurance business, this is very challenging given the prevalence of accidents in Jamaica.

However, he said the IAJ is committed to significant improvements in this area.

As it regards COVID-19, James admitted that the pandemic has caused financial dislocation to some policyholders.

However, association members have been working with their policyholders, implementing creative solutions to keep their clients’ insurance policies in force on a case-by-case basis.

On a positive note, James reported that motor insurers must be commended for the innovative ways they have responded to the new environment with new features so designed that motorists can benefit financially from the reduced risk of crashes on the road.