Were you recently in a fender bender that has left your car with a bit of damage? If the car is still drivable, you might think it's OK to stay on the road for the short term in order to get to work or to take care of other basic necessities. But failing to get your car fixed at a local collision repair shop as soon as possible could expose you to a variety of problems. Here's why you should not delay getting your car fully repaired and fixed by a collision repair expert following an accident.
Your Car Might Not Be Street Legal
Your vehicle might technically be capable of getting down the road but if it has visible damage to it, you might not make it very far once a police officer sees you. A clearly damaged vehicle may pose a safety risk to other people on the road and the police could pull you over and tell you to get the vehicle to a repair shop. You might even face charges for unsafe driving if the situation is extreme. Don't put yourself in legal jeopardy or put the public's safety in question by taking a damaged vehicle out onto the road.
Failing to Get a Quick Fix Might Cause Insurance Problems
If you are planning on getting your car fixed through insurance, you will typically need to report the accident immediately and then find a repair shop within a reasonable amount of time. If you wait too long to get the help you need, you could possibly get your insurance claim denied and end up having to pay for it out of pocket. The insurance company could argue that because some time has passed, they are no longer sure if the damage to the car is from the initial accident or from something else that has happened since then.
You Are Putting Yourself in Danger
Have you ever seen a video of a car with crash test dummies being intentionally wrecked? Car manufacturers work hard to make sure that a vehicle can maintain at least some structural integrity even during an accident in order to protect the lives and overall health of the people in the car.
When your vehicle is damaged, it's structural integrity could be reduced. If you keep driving the vehicle and then something else happens, your car might not be able to provide any protection. This could result in serious injury to you or to a passenger in your car.
