When modern safety features are damaged in an auto accident, the repair costs are often substantial.
There’s no denying that safety features in vehicles save many lives on the road. With every new generation of cars that is released, there are new and improved safety features. From extra air bags, to parking cameras and sensors that will alert you if you drift out of your lane. However, what happens when these safety features are deployed or become damaged and have to be replaced after a crash?
According to our St. Louis auto accident attorneys, when these safety systems get damaged, the owners often face huge repair costs. Due to this, there is an increase in cars being declared total losses after an accident. It is simply not cost effective to repair or replace them.
Most cars have more airbags these days. These are often expensive to replace. Additionally, cars have many sensors that form part of the safety systems of the vehicle. These sensors are also costly to replace, and are easily damaged in collisions.
Another important point to note is that there are just more accidents these days simply because there are more cars on the roads. With medical skill increasing, you are living longer and are fitter and healthier and able to drive for longer. Our standard of living also increases and so many of us have more cars in our households than most past generations did. Now people often have a car each, rather than simply one family car that is shared by the whole household. So of course with all these extra cars on the roads, the chances of one colliding with another is increased.
So is it worth getting your safety features fixed after an accident?
It depends on the damage, and if the damage is extensive, the cost can really mount up. Unless your car is very expensive, and is fairly new, it may simply not be worth the cost of fixing all the sensors, cameras and airbags. It could be cheaper to just accept the payout check for the totaled car and purchase a new car with everything working and intact.
In addition, there may be weaknesses in the vehicle due to the accident it has been involved in. For safety and your peace of mind, no matter whether or not you have everything fixed, it may be more sensible to invest in a new car rather than spending an exorbitant sum on repairs.