The National Body Repair Association (NBRA) has written to the Secretary of State on Monday 16 January, urging government support to motorists who must endure exceptional waiting times for vehicles to be repaired.
Chris Weeks, NBRA’s executive director, said:
“The strike action and rising costs of the national transport system are causing more people to drive their vehicles and with the high demand for crash repairs, waiting times can be over two months.
It is estimated that up to £600m is being withheld from the repairer due to unnecessary repair and claims delays caused by restrictive insurer contracts or claims processes.
“Insurers are trying to keep costs as low as possible, but this is causing major backlogs at these repair centres, with drivers waiting up to two months for their vehicles to be repaired.
Many of these delays could be avoided if insurers allowed consumers the choice to use a non-insurance contracted repair centre.
The NBRA believes that tougher time limits should be set, with heavy fines and compensation payments for claims which are delayed unnecessarily in the future and restrictions such as doubling of excesses that deter freedom of choice for the motorist should be removed.”.
Weeks concluded: “I also wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport responsible for the country’s transport system. The NBRA will keep lobbying the government to make sure the insurance industry is called into account for the delays that are causing issues for motorists, independent repairers, and the economy.”.
