A study by the British Standards Institution (BSI) as concluded that one in three vehicle owners are concerned about the safety of their vehicles after being subject to accident repairs.

The findings from the survey of 1,200 vehicle owners also revealed that over a third of drivers are unaware they have the right to choose the bodyshop used by their insurance company following an accident.

Ian Kitchin, the BSI’s global commercial director  said, “Great progress has been made over the last five years to improve standards within the bodyshops, yet our research clearly shows that challenges remain regarding consumer confidence.” He added, “Despite the safety precautions and high standards of many bodyshops, consumers remain unaware of the safety measures and standards they actually have in place.”

The low levels of consumer confidence in bodyshops was further underlined by the fact that 94% of respondents said they would support unannounced inspections to make sure bodyshop standards remain high.

The survey illustrates that while there is far from a crisis of quality in the UK accident repair sector, there is still much work to be done on the image of bodyshops. Too many of the public still percieive the bodyshop as the poor relation of the motor business and remain unaware of the level of sophistication and expertise involved in their work.