Pothole related call-outs rise by 63 per cent ~ station of gear

Deteriorating road standards have resulted in a surge in pothole-related damage to cars

2017-05-15 00:01

The deteriorating quality of British roads has come to light in a new study which found pothole-related breakdowns have surged by 63 per cent from last year.

Despite a mild and comparatively dry winter, breakdown provider RAC, saw its patrols attend 63 per cent more pothole-related breakdowns in the first quarter of 2017 than they did over the same period last year.

Between January and March this year breakdown patrols helped over 6,500 motorists who had broken down as a result of poor road conditions - the damage to cars could be anything from broken suspension and damaged shocks to distorted wheels.

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The RAC says the three-month period saw pothole damage take the largest share of breakdown related call-outs – 2.7 per cent of the total – since RAC’s pothole analysis began in 2006.

A previous report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance estimated the UK has a £12billion backlog of pothole repairs which will take an estimated 14 years to resolve.

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RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “Our figures sadly show a surprising and unwelcome first quarter rise in the number of breakdowns where the poor quality of the road surface was a major factor. We had expected a figure no worse than that recorded in the first quarter of 2016 (4,026) and it is very concerning that the roads, strangely, appear to have deteriorated in a mild, comparatively dry winter.

“However, the RAC Pothole Index, which takes out such short-term effects, suggests some better news for motorists – namely that the longer term picture is a slightly improving one."

Have you ever broken down from hitting a pothole? Tell us in the comments below...

Martin Saarinen

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