A new study indicates that a touch more than half of all damage to vehicles occur in the W and SW postcodes, 26.40% and 24.13% respectively. Second place SW puts up twice the number of the next biggest contributor (N – 10.14%).

Dents, scrapes and collisions were least likely to happen in neighbouring postcodes NW and WC with a 12% collective share of London’s overall vehicle damage.

The majority of incidents happened during office hours with 58% occurring in-between 6am and 6pm. Nearly a third (30.24%) of them involved being back-ended while a similar proportion of those damaged (29.4%) were parked up. One in ten of cases were caused by careless lane changes.

Lee Woodley of Accident Exchange, who released the data, tried to make sense of the figures: “Despite car ownership in London being much lower than the rest of the UK, the heavily congested roads, cramped parking and complicated network mean drivers are more at risk from vehicle damage.

“The results are interesting. The high figures of the West/South West for vehicle damage could be the result of a greater daily influx of traffic from the West via the artery M40, M4 and M3 motorways.”

It is estimated that around 3m cars are based in London, just short of a tenth of the UK’s overall total, while an average 6.3m car trips are made every day in the Greater London area.

A map depicting which London postcode attracts the clumsiest drivers:

Daksh Gupta, chief executive of Marshall Motor Group, commented: “As part of our purchasing process we naturally looked at the market, but no one came close to matching Accident Exchange’s understanding of the dealer landscape, the need for flexibility and the importance of providing a brand experience to the customer.”

He added: “The market is more competitive than ever, so customer retention, loyalty and support in the accident aftermarket is now a firm fixture in our business as a profit generator. It’s strategically important to us.”

Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange said: “By signing a longer term, three year extension, Marshall Motor Group has shown undeniable faith in the tangible and intangible benefits of accident management.”

“We remain committed to continuing to evolve our services so that our partners, like Marshall, remain at the forefront of innovative customer care and business capture.”

Leading accident management company, Accident Exchange, says the growing trade on auction sites like eBay, is a potentially ‘life and death’ issue and the Government needs to act.

The unregulated nature of the marketplace means the second-hand airbags being sold could be defective or inoperable, without the buyer’s or even the seller’s knowledge. The end result could be fatal if the airbag fails to deploy in an accident.

At any time around 3,000 airbags are being auctioned online, according to Accident Exchange’s research. In the vast majority of cases, the history is unclear.

It is feared the booming UK marketplace is being fuelled in part by the fraudulent practice of replacing stolen or used airbags in the aftermath of an accident. Last year, an investigation by the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration[i] found that in 255 of the 1,446 fatal crashes it reviewed, the airbags had not been properly replaced after the previous accident. The report discovered scrunched up newspaper, crisp packets and even a trainer in place of the airbag unit.

“Buying a second-hand airbag may save you money, but it could cost you your life,” commented Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange. “Who is selling these airbags? Which cars are they going into and who is fitting them? More importantly why were they removed from the original vehicle in the first place?

The marketplace should be strictly regulated before it gets out of hand.”

Although the Department for Transport recommends drivers should not attempt to fit second-hand airbag components[ii] , no laws currently exist to limit the sale, shipment, handling and maintenance of the devices. In Germany, it is illegal to buy a used airbag.

Adding to the problem, UK postal workers are unwittingly transporting the often anonymously packaged airbags even though they are classified as UN Hazard Class 1 explosives. In situ, they deploy and inflate within just 25 milliseconds of impact, reaching speeds of up to 160mph.

The Royal Mail actually refuses to ship any kind of airbag through either their standard service or the Parcelforce division[iii] , although this is being ignored by many sellers who advertise a standard delivery option on their auction listings. Citylink and DHL agree to handle the safety devices, but only when clearly labelled and delivered through their Dangerous Goods Departments. DHL is regularly used by vehicle manufacturers to safely transport airbag units.

The Health & Safety Executive provides strict guidelines on the safe storage of airbags. Some units even require registration under the Explosives Act of 1875 for business and individuals wishing to keep them on the premises.

At present, the public are unable to verify whether a vehicle has been involved in an accident, who repaired it and whether the airbag has been replaced as part of the insurance claim.

The number of accidents recorded on Monday (2nd February) leapt three-fold compared to normal levels according to Accident Exchange, a leading accident management company.

However, not all accidents will have been reported yet, says Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange.

“The final toll of Monday will only be known in the next couple of weeks but the cost of that ‘essential’ journey will be high.”

More than 10,000 incidents are reported on a normal winter’s day leaving repairs bills of £1,8001 on average. The number could rise to 30,000.

In addition to the body and structural damage, the snow-related bumps, scrapes and crashes will cost the UK economy upwards of £5.25m2 in lost working hours in the coming weeks as owners spend an average of 3½ days dealing with the aftermath.

In more complicated incidents, where liability is disputed, or the car is written off, the actual time spent resolving the affair could easily rise to nearer 50 hours.

Evans added: “Driver inexperience is to blame with people coming across marooned cars and hitting them, driving too fast or too close to the car in front.”

“With increasingly limited opportunities for dealers to interact face-to-face with the customer, it is crucial we help them provide a high quality of service every time”, explains Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange.

The new data-capture and control mechanism will therefore form an integral function in assessing and maintaining CSI ratings stipulated by manufacturers.

To date, nearly 90 percent of its customers have participated in the exercise which rates all elements of the delivery service, to present an overall customer satisfaction score of 97.9 percent.

Evans added: “At Accident Exchange we pride ourselves on the quality of our service and our support to dealer networks. The customer satisfaction results underline our commitment and will ultimately have a knock on effect on dealer profits by generating positive word of mouth about the brand experience.

“As an external supplier, we never forget that our customers are someone else’s customer – something we never forget that from the first phone call through to the return of their vehicle.”

The data collated will be used to monitor standards and implement improvements across the business in line with partner service level agreements.

Accident Exchange supports more than 1400 dealer and manufacturer partners from sites in Dartford, Birmingham, Warrington, Glasgow and Belfast.

Taureans, commonly thought to have stubborn temperaments, ranked second place in the table of most accident-prone star signs, making up 8.84% of all drivers, with adventurous Arians a close third accounting for 8.66% of the total.

Interestingly, the three most accident-prone star signs are from consecutive months of the year, suggesting drivers born between March and June are most at risk in their vehicles.
In contrast, quick-minded Scorpions and curious Sagittarians were the least likely to be involved in a vehicle collision, making up only 7.7% each of drivers involved in accidents.
Celebrity drivers involved in recent motoring accidents include Courtney Cox (Gemini), Morgan Freeman (Gemini), Shia LeBeouf (Gemini), George Clooney (Taurus) and Jerry Seinfeld (Taurus). However, Top Gear presenter, Richard Hammond, who was involved in a near-fatal crash whilst filming, defies his more fortunate Sagittarian star sign.

Psychological expert Phillip Hodson comments; “This survey is based on a very large sample and is therefore hard to ignore. We already know that your birth date tends to influence the type of career you pursue with such people as soldiers and artists grouped at different points in the calendar. It’s not too far-fetched to think that different driving temperaments may likewise be seasonally influenced. The challenge, of course, is for anyone to prove that the Heavens play any part in this process, as opposed to whether you are a child of – say – the summer or wintertime.”

According to analysis by Accident Exchange, one of the UK’s leading accident management specialists, the annual number of crashes on UK roads involving foreign registered lorries could be as high as 9,800*.

The company drew its conclusions after looking at over 100,000** reported road traffic incidents it had handled between March 2006 and March 2008.

The majority – 46 percent – of incidents involving foreign lorries occurred on motorways with the M25 accounting for around 42 percent of that figure. Due to the speeds travelled and size of the vehicles involved, repair bills averaged nearly £3,750 but were in some cases as high as £5,647. Independent insurance assessors classified nearly 1 in 10 as total write-offs.

“The rate of incidents may be rising, but so too is the escalating cost,” explains Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange.

Accident Exchange data suggests that foreign lorries are now responsible for one out of every 350 accidents leaving a bill of £2.8m*** in lost working hours and £48.9m**** in vehicle repairs, write-offs and personal injury claims. In total, an estimated £52m annually.

‘Side swiping’, which refers to the blind spot of left-hand-drive Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), remains the biggest cause of lorry accidents. Last December, the Department of Transport issued more than 90,000 Fresnel lenses – a thin optical lens of plastic that improves rear visibility – to foreign lorry drivers in an effort to tackle the problem.

“The awareness of British drivers to the dangers is just as important if this figure is to be reduced,” adds Evans. “Too few UK motorists realise that left-hand drive HGVs are unable to see vehicles overtaking them on the right. A greater appreciation would help.”

* Analysis of Accident Exchange RTA data between March 2006 and March 2008 shows that foreign lorries accounted for an average of 0.28 percent of all claims annually. On average, 3.5m motor related accidents are recorded annually in the UK.

** Accident Exchange handled 100,072 reported RTAs between March 2006 to March 2008.

*** Accident Exchange calculates 9,800 foreign lorry accidents annually x 3.53 days lost by the innocent party dealing with the aftermath of the accident x £78.45 in cost of absent employee (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development ‘Absence Management Report July 2007’) = £2.8m

**** Estimated total number of foreign lorry accidents is 9,800. Estimated 980 write-offs (representing 1 in 10) at an average of £12,500 equals £12.25m. Based on average repair bill of £3,750 multiplied by the estimated 8,820 remaining damaged vehicles adds another £33.1m. Motor related Personal Injury claims stands at approximately £1bn annually equate to an estimated additional £3.5m bill.

The Company will provide the expertise and infrastructure to guarantee that the manufacturer’s network of 24 approved repairers in the UK deliver service levels and repair quality commensurate with the Bentley brand. Accident Exchange will also oversee the European and establishing USA markets.

“From defining and assessing standards, to people, process and performance improvement, our role is to ensure that the network understands, embraces and delivers against the brand vision and objectives,” explains Gordon Grant, Manufacturer Account Director for Accident Exchange.

Accident Exchange has an established pedigree in providing its prestige dealer and manufacturer partners with tailored business solutions that combine to improve the brand experience, raise customer satisfaction levels and increase revenue streams and profitability.

Mike Foster, AfterSales Business Development Manager for Bentley Motors, added: “This is an important strategic partnership with Accident Exchange that will not only ensure the network has the necessary competence and capability to keep pace with the complex technology in our vehicles, but that service levels meet the exacting expectations of our customer base.”

Overseeing the implementation for Accident Exchange will be Kenny Wilson, in the role of Bentley Global Paint & Body Programme Manager.

Last year, Bentley Motors passed the 10,000 unit sales landmark for the first time with sales in the UK up 7 percent.

Bradshaw, 18, is considered one of the UK’s brightest young talents, having won the 2006 North West Formula Ford Championship, and is expecting big things in the forthcoming season.

“I’m relatively inexperienced, most of the other drivers have been racing since they were seven or eight years old,” said Bradshaw. “To finish sixth, with five podiums after a troublesome start last year, was really good. There is no reason why I can’t win it this time.”

Entering its 11th year, Formula Palmer Audi has re-established itself as a hot-bed of future motorsport talent. Stefan Wilson, one of the leading contenders in the 2007 championship went on to collect the prestigious Autosport McLaren Young Driver of the Year Award – which counts the likes of Jenson Button and David Coulthard as previous winners.

Bradshaw originally started racing so that he could compete against his father, John, in Classic Formula 3 cars, but his pace stood him out as a potential star of the future. Bradshaw now hopes one day to emulate the nine previous FPA graduates to progress to Formula 1.

The struggle for the prestigious FPA crown will be fought over 20 exhilarating races, condensed into eight rounds at tracks including the legendary Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps Grand Prix circuits.

Supporting prestigious events such as the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the 2008 FPA season kicks off at Donnington Park on 12/13 April.

The website, which is UK’s
largest motoring community with 1.3m users and 80m page impressions a month, is
the number one destination for drivers of performance and prestige
vehicles.

The deal will complement Accident Exchange’s market leading
position with more than 1,300 dealer and bodyshop partners. Under the agreement,
all repair work will be directed through the Accident Exchange authorised
network.

“Statistically, the average prestige dealer operating an
accident management programme will only capture 35 percent of motorists involved
in a non-fault,” explained Steve Evans, chief executive of Accident Exchange.
“This unique association with PistonHeads means we will be able to broaden the
net and help our partners capture an even larger customer base at no
cost.”

Speaking on behalf of PistonHeads.com, brand manager, Paul Garlick
added: “As a close community, we take time to review potential partnerships to
ensure that there is a genuine reader benefit. The service that Accident
Exchange offers is a very good fit for our audience, and as we can keep readers
on the road with the minimum of fuss and in a like-for-like vehicle, the
feel-good benefits are there for all to see.”

Evans concluded: “The
association underlines our innovative business model and why we continue to
offer our partners unprecedented returns.”

PistonHeads Accident
Aftercare was launched at the inaugural PistonHeads Show at the NEC (January
11-13)

The new online facility will form part of the firm’s remarketing programme, which also includes a programme with BCA Auctions to offer a unique 100 percent plus “CAP clean” market valuations.

AECarAuctions.com will be populated with at least 50 vehicles at any one time with a bidding window of between 3-5 days and a reserve. Registration is free with an administration fee of just £25 per successful bid.

Accident Exchange operates a fleet of more than 5,600 vehicles supporting manufacturers and dealers nationwide via its unique accident management programme. Approximately 3,000 will be sold back into the trade every year. The majority will be prestige models from Audi, BMW, Mercedes and mainstream represented by marques including Honda, Toyota, Peugeot, VW and Ford.

Sold in ‘immediate retail condition’, the high specification models in core business silver and dark colours will be 12-18 months old and up to a maximum of 20,000 miles.

Former ‘The Car Shop’ chief, Adrian Lewis, who joined Accident Exchange at the start of the year, has spearheaded the project. He explained: “The trade will not see this kind of quality product outside of closed manufacturer auctions. Every vehicle has all the prerequisites for a popular retail marketplace”.

Dealers can register by visiting www.aecarauction.com or via the www.accidentexchange.com website.