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CRASH NetworkThe Weekly Fax Service for the Auto Collision Repair IndustryIt's like having an industry-wide weekly meeting without ever leaving your desk! Get a weekly update on the state of the collision repair industry literally delivered to your desk, by Fax, with the latest news from Sheila Loftus, the woman who makes it her business to stay "in the know" and to get industry information out to us quickly. |
February 6, 2000
An Insurance Research Council (IRC) study reports there has been a drop in the frequency of auto accidents over the past two decades. However, people are more likely to claim injuries as a result of auto accidents today. Auto accidents, measured by property damage claims, decreased 17 percent from 1980 to 1998, going from 4.94 per 100 insured cars in 1980 to 4.09 in 1998. During the same period, bodily injury claims resulting from those accidents increased 33 percent, going from 0.88 per 100 insured cars in 1980 to 1.17 in 1998. The bodily injury claims peaked at 1.22 in 1995 and declined in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
The IRC study, Trends in Auto Injury Claims, also reported that accident and injury rates, as well as claim costs, varied broadly from state to state. Massachusetts had the highest accident frequency in 1998 at 7.06 property damage claims per 100 insured cars, with Wyoming, which had the lowest rate of 3.05. Massachusetts also had the highest bodily injury claim frequency at 2.29 per 100 insured cars, with North Dakota coming in lowest at 0.20.
Copies of the study, $75 in the U.S., $100 elsewhere, are available at the IRC, (610) 644-2212.
A Georgia bill to prevent the use of non-OEM repair parts for a vehicle three years old or newer died in the House Insurance Committee on February 1st. HB 214 stated, "An insurer shall not require as a condition of payment of a claim... the use of any replacement part which is not new original manufacturer equipment in repairing a motor vehicle at any time during the model year of such motor vehicle and the next two consecutive model years."
On the day of the hearing, the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) issued a statement opposing the bill. "Generic auto parts save consumers millions of dollars each year," said James Taylor, southeast regional manager for the NAII. If the bill passed, "the competition between carmakers and other parts manufacturers will be eliminated, resulting in increased auto repair costs and eventually higher insurance premiums for consumers," Taylor said.
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