There were 631,852 pothole-related incidents on the roads in 2023, the highest number for fiveyears, a motoring service reveals.
Those collisions contributed to around half a billion pounds (£474m) worth of damage to vehicles in the UK, according to the AA.
The annual pothole index data found poor road maintenance impacted two million separate vehicles – a rise of 16.39% in 2022. Meanwhile, 62,000 incidents occurred just last month – a jump from 54,000 in the previous year.
Following the widely forecasted statistics, associations representing all road users joined forces to mark National Pothole Day. The ‘Pothole Partnership’ is made up of the AA, the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), British Cycling, road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, the British Motorcyclists Federation and JCB.
It set out five pledges to save drivers’ thousands on damaged vehicles and, further, ensure the safety of those on two wheels.
The ‘Pothole Partnership Pledge’
- Permanent: Local authorities to limit the practice of temporary pothole repairs or patches and, where possible, every pothole or patch to be repaired permanently.
- Precise: All local authorities/contractors are to adhere to UK-wide repair and inspection standards, and report annually on the repairs undertaken.
- Price: Government to demonstrate greater urgency by accelerating and increasing spending of the £8.3bn pothole funding for England in the first three years – with total clarity on the distribution to local authorities.
- Provision: Central and local Government to guarantee ringfencing of ALL road maintenance funding to help deliver innovations that enable permanent repairs.
- Progress: Full transparency from local authorities on their roads repair backlog, categorised by potholes, patching works and road resurfacing.
Despite the Government’s announcement that £8.3bn from aborted HS2 plans would go towards fixing 5,000 miles of road, some are sceptical over the investment.
Pothole situation in the UK part of ‘vicious cycle’
Edmund King, AA President, said: “Last year, AA patrols dealt with more than 600,000 pothole-related incidents which on a national scale will have cost drivers almost half a billion pounds. Currently, we often have a vicious circle of: pothole formed; damage caused; pothole patched; pothole reappears with more damage caused – when what we need are more permanent repairs.
“Potholes are the number one concern for 96% of drivers and can be fatal for those on two wheels so hopefully pressure from the Pothole Partnership will lead to permanent repairs.”
The executive director of the National Motorcyclists Council, Craig Carey-Clinch, said the situation for motorcyclists “is becoming ever more acute.”
Pothole damage ‘could prove fatal’ for motorcycle riders
Carey-Clinch added: “Potholes and other road surface-related defects are already shown to be extremely dangerous for motorcycle riders. The same pothole that damages a car, could prove fatal to a rider. Action is needed now to urgently clear the backlog of repairs.
“The NMC fully supports the Pothole Partnership and urges the Government to front-load the £8.3bn that has been announced. The problem is now, not in seven or nine years.”
(Click to expand)
