Wreck damage cost

Hay hay hay · Oct 30, 2013

I guess you heard that consumer reports pulled their recommendation from 3 Toyota models due to Poor crash test ratings.

That matches my experience too.

Last year I was in the middle off a low speed accordian type wreck. Not sure how fast, but we were all on the brakes, trying to stop. I hit the Toyota in front of me and a Honda hit me from behind. Nobody hurt.

I was driving my 10 year old Chevy S-10 pickup, a little truck by any standard. My air bags did not go off, so it was a low speed crash.
My truck was drivable except for a fender into a tire, but it would start and run, all cosmetic damage, the bill was $4000, insurance value $7000 so they fixed it. I was OK with that since I had bought the truck new and maintained it well.

Both the late model Honda and the new Toyota were totalled. None of the 3 drivers got a scratch.

Another story. My daughter was sitting at a light when another car cut the corner too sharp and hit her Toyota, 3 years old, less than 50,000 miles. They towed it to the body shop. She expected to have it back in a few days, since there was little visable damage. She got a call...totalled. Bent at the firewall like a boomerang. The insurance co. wrote her a check for $18,000.

My point, this must be impacting insurance rates?

rabbit-1 · Oct 30, 2013

With the fuel economy restrictions, they're making the vehicles far lighter than ever before. This leads to far more structural damage in an accident. With the crash designs to protect passengers, something has to give. Years back, we used to put cars on a rack, pull them back into shape, and good to go... Hardly ever done anymore. Structure too weak to do that.

ss55 · Oct 30, 2013

I only hear the news story on TV, I have not read the report. From the news it sounds like the cars got a low rating, not because of the cost to fix or replace the car, but because the occupants would have been more seriouly injured in those cars.

The cost of replacing a newer vehicle may seem high until you compare that to the medical cost if someone is badly injured or needs rehabilitation.
An ambulance ride is over $1000.
A visit to an emergency room cost $500+.
A hospital stay costs several $1000 per day.
Surguries can cost $5000 per hour.
Rehabilitation training cost $100+ per hour.

A serious injury costs a lot more than replacing the cars involved, especially now that the age of the average vehicle on the road today is around ten years old.

In the end, it is the accidents that cause insurance rates to go up. If people would drive more carefully, fewer accidents would happen. If the accident doesn't happen those high costs never happen either.

Sorry for the rant.

I'm really surprised that Toyota let passenger safety slip by them this time. I suspect the next generation Camry might be near the top in its passenger safety tests.

Mike (WA) · Oct 30, 2013

Part of it is "on purpose"- crumple zones to absorb impact, to protect occupants. That's probably why the firewall buckled and totaled the car in the example given. Occupant safety is "Job 1" now, as the cost of a totaled car pales by comparison to the cost of an injury. And in the examples given, it's apparently working!

BTW, I went to rehab for a knee injury- after the first couple of visits where they actually worked on my knee to get more range of movement, it became no different than going to a health club (ride the stationary bike for x minutes, then the stair climber for x minutes, you get the idea). It figured out to $250 per hour! I didn't know my new health insurance reset the $2,750 deductible at year end, so I bailed when I figured it out.

2 Old 2 care · Oct 30, 2013

One, you're assuming that 3 vehicles in a wreck all have equal damage, so cost SHOULD be close to equal. Simply put, no wreck results in equal damage.

Then, an older, more common vehicle, you stand a much higher probability of availability of low cost aftermarket parts and/or used parts, making repair cost significantly lower.

Then of course, as already mentioned, newer cars are held to a much higher crash injury standard, therefore have built in crush zones, etc.

In 2003, I was in a Toyota Tundra that was hit from behind by a late 80's GMC pick up. My Toyota suffered minor damage (in terms of ability to be driven away) and the GMC had to be hauled away on a rollback. In the end, dollar figures for damage were relatively close.

Some vehicles are just more expensive to repair with not a lot of rhyme or reason.

skip33652 · Oct 30, 2013

the cost of a car is very small compared to a helicopter ride .the vehicles are designed with crumple zones to protect against helicopter rides.Paul

NEBeef · Oct 30, 2013

+1 to the posts regarding crumple zones and the people being the first and foremost thing to protect.

I was an EMT for the local FD for years, and going to MVAs that occurred at anything under 40 mph actually got pretty boring towards the end of my career - you come on scene to a crumpled mess of metal and plastic that didn't look like anyone could have lived through, but the driver and passengers would be standing by the side of the road, unhurt calling their buddies for a ride home on their cell phones. All those safety features generally work very well in my experience.

Hay hay hay · Oct 30, 2013

Very interesting. I knew that road acccident deaths were down from about 50,000/yr to around 30,000/yr....was not sure why. Maybe you put your finger on it.

Maybe some federal laws (vehicle safety rules) actually served their purpose and benefited us.

IH2444 · Oct 30, 2013

(quoted from post at 19:56:50 10/30/13) I guess you heard that consumer reports pulled their recommendation from 3 Toyota models due to Poor crash test ratings.

That matches my experience too.

Last year I was in the middle off a low speed accordian type wreck. Not sure how fast, but we were all on the brakes, trying to stop. I hit the Toyota in front of me and a Honda hit me from behind. Nobody hurt.

I was driving my 10 year old Chevy S-10 pickup, a little truck by any standard. My air bags did not go off, so it was a low speed crash.
My truck was drivable except for a fender into a tire, but it would start and run, all cosmetic damage, the bill was $4000, insurance value $7000 so they fixed it. I was OK with that since I had bought the truck new and maintained it well.

Both the late model Honda and the new Toyota were totalled. None of the 3 drivers got a scratch.

Another story. My daughter was sitting at a light when another car cut the corner too sharp and hit her Toyota, 3 years old, less than 50,000 miles. They towed it to the body shop. She expected to have it back in a few days, since there was little visable damage. She got a call...totalled. Bent at the firewall like a boomerang. The insurance co. wrote her a check for $18,000.

My point, this must be impacting insurance rates?

None of the 3 drivers got a scratch.
That is how new cars are designed.

One helicopter ride to the hospital will cost the 18K.

Dick2 · Oct 30, 2013

Vehicles with the frameless flat pan design will be totalled if there is much damage to the pan - too difficult and expensive to try to repair those accurately.

Vehicles with a frame, like trucks, can be more easily straightened and repaired.

Just another fact of life that we have to live with.

pat sublett · Oct 30, 2013

A little difficult to compare crashes with out a lot of accurate statistics. As for Consumer guide, I use to own an Ace Hardware store and a Mower and small engine shop.I Was an authorized warranty shop for several brands of lawn mowers and engines. I recall one issue of Consumer Guide that rated 4 different brands of Lawn tractors. Three rated #1,#3 &4 were all made by American Yard Product, all identical except for paint and decals.

Wile E · Oct 30, 2013

10 years ago I had a Saturn car.
A deer ran out in front of me, I clipped the hind quarters as it was running in front of me. $ 2,700 in damage. 2 weeks in the shop.
The right front of the car was peeled back like a can opener. Ever since that time I use the high beams on the lights.

Spook · Oct 30, 2013

I talked to a guy who ran a company that produced equipment used by collision shops. He said it is a dying business. Cars are designed to be sacrificed to save human injury. Collision shops are going the way of TV repairmen.

DaninKansas · Oct 30, 2013

Agreed.

The cars are designed to destroy themselves in an accident - basically everything collapses but the passenger compartment to absorb an impact. Even a light accident will destroy one to the point that a shop SHOULDN'T repair it.

DaninKansas · Oct 30, 2013

Actually federal CAFE standards have costed thousands of lives.

According to the Brookings Institution, a 500-lb weight reduction of the average car increased annual highway fatalities by 2,200-3,900 and serious injuries by 11,000 and 19,500 per year. USA Today found that 7,700 deaths occurred for every mile per gallon gained in fuel economy standards. Smaller cars accounted for up to 12,144 deaths in 1997, 37% of all vehicle fatalities for that year. The National Academy of Sciences found that smaller, lighter vehicles "probably resulted in an additional 1,300 to 2,600 traffic fatalities in 1993." The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration study demonstrated that reducing a vehicle's weight by only one hundred pounds increased the fatality rate by as much as 5.63% for light cars, 4.70% for heavier cars, and 3.06% for light trucks. These rates translated into additional traffic fatalities of 13,608 for light cars, 10,884 for heavier cars, and 14,705 for light trucks between 1996 and 1999.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/04/death_by_cafe_standards.html

Old weldor · Oct 30, 2013

A local guy here had his 2005 Toyota tundra pickup recalled because the frame was rusting through! Toyota replaced the frame, took four days. They use salt on the roads here in the winter but you don't see that on Chevys fords or dodges. Just sayin!

john in la · Oct 30, 2013

My kids and wife have totaled 3 Toyota's in the past 10 years. 1 was my son's fault and the other 2 were the other drivers fault.
I would say the insurance was more than happy to total the cars because none of them every had to go see a doctor.

IH2444 · Oct 30, 2013

(quoted from post at 05:27:52 10/31/13) My kids and wife have totaled 3 Toyota's in the past 10 years. 1 was my son's fault and the other 2 were the other drivers fault.
I would say the insurance was more than happy to total the cars because none of them every had to go see a doctor.

Yep like a soldier does not complain about replacing body armor that has served it's purpose.

Sprint 6 · Oct 30, 2013

Had Jimmy in the other day with a rusted out frame. Seen lots of Ford frame rust.

Hay hay hay · Oct 31, 2013

Interesting. 17 replies and not one answered the question. Insurance rates?

Wreck damage cost

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