The July Collision Industry Conference (CIC), held July 22 in Schaumburg, Ill., focused on the ways collision repair decisions affect the consumer. CIC Chairman Dan Risley, vice president of quality repair and market development at CCC Intelligent Solutions, opened the meeting. Post-Collision Safety Inspections: Standards, Risks and Real-World Gaps Bud Center, co-chair of the CIC Talent Pool and Education Committee, led a panel that included Mike Anderson, president of Collision Advice, Nader Akbari, managing partner of Central Florida Paint & Body, and representatives from vehicle engineering, repair and insurance backgrounds. Panelists emphasized that hidden damage to steering columns, seat belt mounting points, airbags and other safety components may not produce a diagnostic trouble code or warning light, making physical inspections and documentation essential after a collision. The discussion also highlighted the tension created when OEM procedures require extensive inspections but repairers encounter questions over necessity and reimbursement. Shops remain responsible for the completed repair, panelists said, even when the work needed to verify a vehicle’s safety is disputed or declined. Understanding Personal Data in Vehicles Trent Tinsley, assistant vice president of business development at Entegral, and Shaughn Kennedy of Spark Underwriters, representing the data access, privacy and security committee, introduced a presentation by Andrea Amico, founder and CEO of Privacy4Cars. The session demonstrated that connected vehicles can retain significant amounts of personal information and urged repairers to recognize that protecting a customer now includes protecting the data stored in the vehicle. The speakers encouraged businesses to establish clear procedures for handling vehicle data, obtaining permission and removing information when appropriate. As vehicles become more connected, data privacy was presented as both a consumer-protection responsibility and a growing source of business risk. The Forgotten Total Loss: Protecting Consumer Data in Connected Vehicles Liz Stein, vice president of strategic initiatives for North