Vehicle complexity, including the growing average number of replacement parts — up by 15% — and lightweight parts that more often need to be replaced instead of repaired, means repair times are longer and the labor required for this is more specialized.

This has increased severity. Meanwhile, claims frequency is down. In this CollisionCast episode, John Barbagallo, strategic advisor for fleet safety and compliance telematics firm SambaSafety, talks about some of the reasons for that, as well as the driving behaviors defined by insurers as high-risk. SambaSafety just released its 2025 Driver Risk Report. Click here to learn more.