The cost of damage caused by potholes on Britain’s roads has risen steeply in the last year, a new report has shown.
The findings reveal that the total cost to UK drivers has soared by 35% over the previous year’s figure.
In the last 12 months, 59% of all drivers have said they have crashed through at least one pothole a week – up from 46% in 2021.
The annual PIT Report (Pothole Impact Tracker) carried out for automotive servicing and repair firm Kwik Fit, also reveals that more than 13 million motorists are estimated to have suffered damage to their car in the last year as a result of a pothole impact, with the average individual repair bill coming to £132.
This rise in costs could be partly explained by the higher traffic volumes in the last 12 months than in the year to March 2021 – the first year of the Covid pandemic, says Kwik Fit. However, the latest figure is nearly half a billion pounds higher than in the year before Covid, despite average daily car traffic remaining below those pre-pandemic levels, and is the largest total seen since the company began tracking the cost annually.
Of the drivers who suffered from potholes:
- 50% faced damage to their tyres
- 29% suffered wheel damage
- 29% had broken suspension
- 18% damaged steering
- 12% suffered bodywork damage
- 10% received damage to engine components.
Kwik Fit’s research has found that when it comes to road surfaces in their local area, almost three times as many drivers (46%) think conditions have deteriorated in the last year as those that believe they have got better (16%).
Although the damage caused by a pothole may be instantly apparent, such as a burst tyre or cracked alloy, in many cases the effect can be hidden. The impact can lead to gradual deflation through a slow puncture or cause a bulge or damage to the inside wall of a tyre which may not be immediately spotted but could result in a tyre failure at high speed.
Similarly, if wheels are knocked slightly out of alignment it can compromise handling and cause uneven tyre wear, but it may take time for this to become obvious.
“We all know there are huge demands on public finances at the moment, but the reality is that drivers have been consistently calling for a strategic plan to effectively bring our roads up to scratch for many years,” says Roger Griggs, Kwik Fit communications director.
“It is not sufficient to just carry out emergency patching of the worst areas – this is always going to be a case of papering over the cracks.”
