Investigator seeks to set up institute of vehicle collision and repairs

Forensic collision investigator David Vassallo is seeking investors to back his two-year ambition to establish Malta's first institute of collision and automotive repairs.

Mr Vassallo, a Maltese-Australian who returned to Malta with his parents in his teens in 1984, says the institute would run training programmes to raise awareness and increase understanding of the latest repair techniques, technology and equipment, offer forensic investigation on vehicles, and hold vehicle safety seminars.

There are 298,000 cars on Malta's roads, three for every four people. Mr Vassallo points out were 15,000 traffic accidents last year. The cars involved were examined by one of 30 vehicle surveyors locally and insured by one of around 20 insurance companies. They are repaired in any of 170 registered garages in Malta and Gozo who employ around 600 people.

"There is a training void in the car repair sector," he told The Times Business. "All body shop owners who set up shop fairly recently are fully trained, but 1,000-odd long-standing garage owners have nowhere to go to raise the standard and efficiency of their work. Garage owners would pay the institute a membership fee and receive professional third party training from UK experts."

Mr Vassallo, who is a garage auditor for the Malta Standards Authority, says that insurance companies insist that repairs are carried out to a timetable. By setting up a Thatchems library at the institute, Mr Vassallo says garage owners would have instant access to data on all vehicle models and monthly newsletters with vehicle updates. Early research will help mechanics be more efficient and cost-effective on jobs involving anything from airbag replacement to paint techniques.

Mr Vassallo, who has received written support from the Malta Insurance Association and the MSA for his project, says insurance fraud in Malta is rampant - there are cases of motorists making up to 30 claims in three years.

The institute, he adds, would incorporate a collision analysis centre where insurance companies or the courts could send vehicles for counter-fraud analysis and vehicle fire investigations. Mr Vassallo says his UK associates could travel to Malta within hours for investigations, particularly for cases involving high value cars.

A centre within the educational complex would raise awareness of child safety, the dangers of not wearing seatbelts, the effects of alcohol on reaction times, and the hazards of mobile phone use while driving. The seminar would be of particular interest to parents, Malta Transport Authority, government officials and most motorists.

"Parents don't realise that allowing a child to stand at the back between the two front seats is extremely dangerous and could prove fatal. A 25mph crash will have the same impact on the child as if he or she were thrown from a three-storey building onto concrete."

Mr Vassallo, who has been running a car on bio-diesel for three years, says the institute would also run programmes on alternative fuels and energy for cars.

With a mountain of certificates for car repair training from the US, the UK, Italy and Australia, Mr Vassallo says his dream stems from his love for cars and a desire to go a step further: "The institute would raise the bar a bit: heightening awareness of the dangers and improving the level of repairs."