38 accident repair centres from across Ireland have formally received their certification for achieving Certified Steel Standard.

CSS is a national accreditation mark which offers consumers assurance that structural vehicle body repairs have been carried out to the highest possible standard. The programme was setup by the SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) and is backed by the Road Safety Authority. The standard was established because of the increasing complexities of structural repair to cars manufactured with new materials and the different methodologies required to repair these vehicles.

At the award ceremony in Athlone, Paul Linders, President of the SIMI commented, “Customers deserve the best service and the best standard of repairs when they experience the trauma of a crash repair.  When a vehicle is involved in a serious crash or accident it doesn’t necessarily have to be written- off, that vehicle can be repaired to a high standard and returned to the road in a safe condition. What is important though is that you can be sure it has been properly and correctly repaired before it is returned to the road and that is where CSS comes in.” 

Mr Linders added, “These bodyshops should be proud of their accomplishment. Their willingness to raise the standard of repairs within the Industry demonstrates the passion and pride they have in their personnel and their business and most importantly in their ability to repair crashed vehicles safely and to the highest quality.”

He also commended the efforts of the RSA for their continued focus on road safety and welcomed their plans to introduce regulations for statutory reporting of write-offs and the requirements for significant repairs to be certified or recorded prior to a seriously damaged vehicle being allowed back on the road.