How many cars do you think are on the road today, worldwide?

The answer is maybe not so surprising: somewhere between 850 million and 1 billion cars are in use today globally. Given our current world population of 7 billion, that would mean roughly 12 cars per hundred people, if car ownership were distributed evenly (which it isn’t).

But these numbers are of course not static. A recent report by the International Energy Agency shows that, while population growth is predicted to stay reasonably constant over the next twenty years, car ownership is expected to double, particularly in developing countries like India and China. These changes mean that over 1.7 billion cars are predicted to be on the road by 2035.

So in the 130 years or so since the first cars were commercially produced, we’ve bought nearly one billion, but it’s only going to take us around twenty years to double that number.

In terms of demand on production and fuel, it’s a colossal challenge that most countries are yet to address. It’s predicted that energy and resource markets will change dramatically and that transport infrastructure will become a major concern for governments worldwide.

But even if we meet the demand for these vehicles and manage to get the roads and infrastructure in place to make it safe and practical to use them, as smash repairers we have to ask – who is going to repair them all?

Cars, like all machines, need maintenance. And the more of them we make, the more of them are going to need repairs after running into kerbs, poles, mailboxes and each other. This wouldn’t be such a problem if the repairs industry were growing in step with the automotive industry, but it’s not. Numbers of apprenticeships have fallen by 50% over the last twenty years, and the demands on smash repairers are only increasing – it’s the main reason we make sure our team are always up to date with the best qualifications and latest technology. It’s also why we make sure we’re involved in representing our industry in organisations like the Motor Trade Association Committee and the SGIO Repairer Committee.

Cars have become much more than a way to get around. We take them for granted as part of our lifestyle but we need to recognise the impact they’re having and plan for the future accordingly – and we need to support the industries and the people who keep them on the road!

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