A new law in Arizona signed recently by the governor says auto glass shops that neglect to tell customers about calibration before they begin a glass replacement could be fined $2,500 —each time.
The law requires that customers are informed before a repair or replacement
if recalibration is necessary on a vehicle. Glass shops also are required to meet or exceed manufacturer specifications and provide customers with itemized descriptions of work completed on their vehicles. Auto glass facilities may not represent to customers that insurance will pay the entire amount of services unless the customer’s auto insurance policy fully covers services.
Violation of the law would place a $2,500 penalty fee on the auto glass facility.
Kerry Soat is CEO of Fas-Break Inc. and maintains four shops and three mobile technicians in the state. “You can call it a consumer protection bill, but it’s protecting the insurance companies mainly,” he said.
Safelite supported the bill that recently became law and company representatives testified in support of it during Arizona House and Senate hearings. Soat does not support it.
“At the end of the day, how is a glass shop going to know they’re in violation?” Soat says. “Some shops do as many as 25 jobs per day.” Soat adds that if the insurance companies waited until an auto glass shop committed 100 violations, the penalty fee would total $250,000. “That’s a business buster,” Soat says.
Soat remains concerned about auto glass shops not educated about the bill.
He explained it to his employees at Best Glass in Phoenix. “They didn’t see anything wrong with this bill because they don’t see themselves violating it,” he says. Soat is especially concerned for auto glass shops that outsource their recalibration services. Estimating the cost of recalibration when another company is performing that service is difficult. “The poor guy who doesn’t know about this bill will be the one who gets hit [with a penalty fee],” Soat says.
Auto Windscreens Invests in ADAS for the Future
Following a 100% increase in the volume of ADAS calibrations since 2019, Auto Windscreens of the United Kingdom has named Darren Boden as its ADAS technical manager.
Boden has worked for Auto Windscreens nearly 30 years, starting as a technician and then joining the training team.
“Darren will bring vast knowledge and experience to his position as ADAS technical manager,” says operations director Sean Draycott. “I’m confident he will excel and play a key role in the growth and success of Auto Windscreens as we expand our ADAS solution.”
“ADAS features are now more widely available in popular models, but many
customers are unaware they require recalibration following a windscreen replacement. We want to make things as easy as possible for customers but also educate them on the importance of keeping these systems working properly,” says Boden.
President’s Budget Includes $18.1 Million for ADAS Research
In the last week of March, The Administration submitted a budget for fiscal year 2023 (FY 2023) to Congress. A hefty $105 billion will go to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which calls for investments in highway safety, including research into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS):
• $18.1 million for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems;
• $3.1 million for Heavy Vehicle Safety Technologies Programs that support
testing and deployment of safety technologies for passenger vehicles,
large trucks, and buses; and
• $11.8 million for Automated Driving Systems research to facilitate innovation and development of new tests, tools, and procedures to properly evaluate the safety of new technologies surrounding highly and fully automated vehicles.
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