Tens of thousands of motorist may be driving dangerous vehicles as a result of not having accident damage rectified. That is the message of a new motoring survey carried out by the UK based Accident Exchange.

The survey indicates that with soaring fuel costs average vehicle mileage fell by some 3% in the period 2006 to 2012. It also found that while accident rates had not really changed in this period, the volume of accident repairs had fallen by a huge factor of 21%. The figures indicate that a massive number of drivers are opting not to have their vehicles repaired following an accident.

Accident Exchange says a combination of high insurance costs and tight household budgets are fuelling this worrying trend, especially as motorist opt for higher and higher policy excesses. Accident Exchange CEO, Steve Evans, said: ‘The double whammy impact of losing their No Claims Discounts and paying increased excesses on insurance claims has seen the number of private settlements between fault and non-fault drivers rise. The innocent party is then choosing to pocket the money rather than seeking to repair what they see merely as cosmetic damage.’

The danger that now needs to be highlighted is that damage done by minor bumps is often more than cosmetic and that the structural integrity of the vehicle may compromised, despite this not being visible. Components at the front of the car such as the ‘crash box’, radiator or airbag sensors, if damaged or moved even at low speeds, could compromise the effectiveness of the car’s safety features in the event of another accident.

On some models in particular, hydraulic suspension parts at the front of the car can be shifted out of place and weakened by a minor bumps, greatly increasing the risk of suspension collapse later.