Auto Repair Policies in Need of Overhaul

"In 1994, an advisory committee of the state Bureau of Automotive Repair estimated that more than 700,000 structurally damaged and 150,000 salvaged, or previously 'totaled,' vehicles were returned to California roads every year. The strong implication was that many of these vehicles were at least somewhat unsafe and that a second accident of equal severity could result in even more damage or injuries than the first.

One issue nationwide has been whether used car buyers are adequately informed that they are buying cars that have been in accidents, particularly the often unreliable salvage vehicles.

In Sacramento, a group called Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, headed by a dedicated woman, Rosemary Shahan, has been instrumental in fighting effectively for state laws that protect buyers from misinformation.

Recently, Shahan's group helped to defeat legislation by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) that, in the guise of introducing national standards, would have actually preempted the much stronger California law. In fact, it would have exempted most of the salvage vehicles on the road.

The point here is that repairs of such vehicles are often so bad that, as Shahan declares, 'A lot of them don't belong back on the road.'"

– Los Angeles Times, November 11, 1998