More repairs required in 2008

BOISE – Local body shops and tow trucks are working overtime to keep with public demand during winter storms.

"75 percent of the collisions that are in here are related to the snow-covered roads and the bad weather we've been experiencing lately," said Heather Cooper, Kadel's Idaho Collision Repair.

Kadel's Idaho Collision Repair is the largest auto body repair shop in the state - not only in size, but the number of cars they service.

To give you an idea of the increase they've seen this year, Cooper says at this last year they were seeing 75 to 90 repairs a week.

"From last Friday we've had about 25 tow-ins, currently we're sitting at about 105 vehicles, so definitely an increase in volume," said Cooper.

For a business like Kadel's, as they see more white on the roads, they usually more green coming in their doors.

"It's a catch 22, it's definitely a catch 22.  We of course don't want anyone to get hurt, we like to see everybody get home safely, but at the same time we are in the business of repairing vehicles and making them safe to go back out on the road," said Cooper.

Right now they are able to get most fender benders out and back on the road in a day, but the more extensive repairs can take a couple of weeks and having their car back quickly makes a lot of people happy.

"They just want the vehicle repaired correctly, timely and to look like it did before they got in their accident," said Cooper.