Designing for Optimum Damageability, Repairability and Insurability How Repair Costs Relate to Insurance Costs

The purpose of this paper is to discuss vehicle damageability, repairability and insurability, to show the interdependence of these terms and how they should be considered in the new vehicle design/development process. The paper can be used as a companion to SAE J1555-RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR OPTIMIZING AUTOMOBILE DAMAGEABILITY. J1555 provides information on how to improve damageability. This paper explains why improving damageability and repairability are important for containing insurance costs. A brief description of automobile insurance terminology and coverage is given, so as to prepare the engineer for the design philosophy examples that show how improvements in damageability and repairability can be achieved.