If you notice more banged-up cars cruising the streets of the region you're not alone. The car has taken a hit, but in today's economy -- so has its driver.

Rob Robbins, vice president of sales and industry relations for Cars Collision Group, said people are raising their deductibles and when they get into a loss, that's the portion they have to pay.

"If they don't have the money and the car runs they keep the settlement and don't fix their car," he said. "Who are we to judge people's economic situation? If they're unemployed and get a little money from insurance when someone hits them, they'll probably use it to pay some bills. Hopefully, this is only temporary."

The Cars Collision Group is a wholly owned limited-liability corporation based in Schererville with 28 stores in Illinois, Northwest Indiana and Denver, Colo.

"We're driven by direct-repair relationships with insurance companies, so 85 percent of our business comes from insurance losses -- and those are way down," Robbins said.

Robbins said claims are down as well, with people less likely to report a loss unless they have to.

"They're probably going to let it go, because they don't want their insurance rates to go up," he said.

Nevertheless, the 10-year-old company that employs approximately 450 workers saw its annual sales grow to $75 million last year.

"And we're branded pretty well here in Northwest Indiana," Robbins said.

Robbins said Cars Collision likes to give back to the community, and the company did just that recently when it hosted a victim-extrication class for Northwest Indiana firefighters and first-responders at its Gary location.

The class was taught by Toby Chess, a Los Angeles resident and collision-industry activist with extensive technical knowledge. The class helps emergency personnel learn about the technology changes in automotive design such as high-strength steel and air-bag canisters that have complicated rescue efforts over the past several years.

"This helps our community be safer," Robbins said. "It educates these first-responders on newer cars, showcases the equipment they need and the techniques they'll have to employ when there's an extrication."

For more information on Cars Collision visit http://www.carscollision.com.