Why Is There Still No Regulation In The Collision Repair Industry?

To date, the collision repair industry has largely avoided attracting the attention of regulators. The main reason for this lack of regulation is because the public has not needed the protection. For 50 years cars evolved in a manageable way, with this manageable evolution allowing skills and work habits to be used from one year to the next, with minor tweaks and updated versions of equipment. Problems were created, but these were more anecdotal than systemic.

Poor repairs did compromise the car, but two significant factors kept these compromised cars from being very real problems.

1. The structure of the car. A car made primarily from mild steel did not change too much in strength and safety after that metal was repaired with heat or pulling.  Today’s cars, made of far more sophisticated materials demand specific and accurate repair or replacement methods, otherwise their strength and safety are very much affected.

2. The control system of the car. This was once 98% the driver and the driver was not affected by the repair. With the significant changes in vehicle technology over the last 5 years the car is getting to the point where it has as much control as does the driver. An incorrect repair will have a very real negative effect on the function of the vehicle, with serious safety implications.

These two issues of advanced material construction and active control systems should be enough for regulatory oversight.  But for many valid reasons, across many industries, regulation does not happens until after the lack of regulation starts to cause problems. It then takes years to catch up and become effective.