A sea change in the level of car repair standards is set to leave insurers exposed to potential litigation.
Vehicle repair firm ABS claimed the complexity of modern vehicles will fuel a rise in the level of repair standards demanded by the client and the carrier, opening insurers to potential litigation.
ABS network director Alan Hodgkinson said: "If an insurer cannot show it has sent a damaged vehicle to a repairer who has the appropriate skills and equipment to undertake a repair, then it is leaving itself open to legal action in the event that negligence appears to have caused a further accident. Vehicles are now becoming so complex that this occurrence is becoming more and more likely.
"Insurers need to face up to the requirement for an independent graded accreditation programme to ensure only correctly-equipped repairers working to standards of expertise and tested repair methodology are approved for their networks."
ABS is now pushing for an industry standard system of repairs that meets the needs of modern vehicles.
Hodgkinson said: "We're suggesting these only as the starting point for a discussion that the insurance and repair industries need to have."
