New research into the condition of the UK road network has laid bare the extent of the crisis.
A KwitFit study has attributed £915million worth of damage to vehicles over the past 12 months to potholes, a financial burden on UK motorists that has leapt by over a third compared to the previous year. It found that 70% of drivers have hit at least one pothole a week over the last twelve months, with a quarter hitting one every single day. Nearly half said they had to make a deliberate decision to hit a pothole as avoiding it would have compromised their own safety, and that of other road users. The result is a huge surge in damage to components such as tyres, wheels, suspension, and bodywork.
“The poor condition of the road network is hitting motorists’ wallets ever harder”, said KwikFit’s communications director, Roger Griggs, “Unfortunately, experience of past years has shown us that the recent cold weather will only make the problem worse and we are likely to see even more drivers suffering serious damage from impacts with potholes.
The KwikFit study also found that deteriorating road conditions were having a negative effect on motorists’ habit. One-in-eight drivers say they now use a longer route with better road conditions, burning extra fuel in the process. One-and-a-half million drivers say the state of the roads was a factor in their switching to a more rugged SUV or 4x4, while 5% now buy cheaper tyres as they say the road surface damages them long before the tread wears out.
The KwikFit research comes at the same time as a report from the Ashphalt Industry Alliance. Their ALARM report revealed that a fift of local roads in the UK are now classed as ‘structurally poor’ and only five years away from becoming unusable.
The news has prompted outcry from Road Haulage chiefs, who have faced a heavy burden in keeping supplies to UK shops going during the recent poor weather. Road Haulage Association chief executive, Richard Burnett said, “It’s not lost on us that the short-term impact of the recent severe weather – where supermarkets ran out of food because lorries couldn’t get through – is leaving a longer-lasting legacy that exposes years of neglect from government and local authorities.”
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