'Six deaths a year blamed on written off cars' - Irish Examiner article

Antenna

The back page of last Tuesday's Irish examiner had this article:

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/six-deaths-a-year-blamed-on-written-off-cars-254434.html

At least six people die on Irish roads every year because of the Government’s failure to ensure written-off cars are not allowed to return to the country’s roads.

Vehicle history check group, www.cartell.ie, made the claim after revealing more than 200,000 written-off cars are still being driven in Ireland, carrying with them hidden dangers that put owners’ lives at risk.

etc

Whilst its good publicity for cartell.ie, how appropriate is the above heading etc of the article?

If there are as many as "more than 200,000" such cars on Irish roads as the article says, it is of course inevitable that a portion of all fatal accidents will involve such cars - regardless of the issue of any actual weaknesses in the car possibly affecting safety.
And 'Less experienced' drivers, statistically more likely to be involved in serious accidents caused by driver behaviour/risk taking, tend to be more so purchasers of old cars (which may be repaired write-offs)


Towards the end of the article cartell are quoted

“At least six deaths occur per annum in vehicles which were previously written off,”

This is of course not the same thing as saying that the cars were to blame for the deaths

Cars can of course be written-off for reasons other than serious structural damage to the metal work of the car and be put back on the road safe as before.

If a portion of written-off cars can be safely put back on the road surely that would seem a good thing as it stimulates employment within this country, and reduces imports of secondhand cars (money leaving the country) ?

Scortho

New title, cars that weren't previously wrote off were involved in 170 odd fatal collisions.
You have economic wrote offs and then structural right offs.
If new parts can't be bought for that parts that's damaged then insurance will write it off, even though it's structurally sound.