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Potholes cost motorists millions

Oct, 19 2006

(UK) -- POTHOLES are burning a £320 million hole in motorists' pockets, new research reveals today. They damage up to one in five cars across the country, leaving their owners with hefty repair bills. Worst hit by poor road surfaces are the Scots where they account for more than a fifth of car failures north of the border. But the best place to drive is the West Midlands with just 8 per cent of problems triggered by potholes, according to the report by Warranty Direct. The researchers say while the condition of British roads may not be getting any worse, they are not getting any better. Based on the firm's database of more than 60,000 vehicles, suspension and axle damage that can be traced back to poor road surfaces are now the most common failures for a shocking 60 per cent of all vehicles. On average, Warranty Direct reports repair bills of £328.60 but as high as £975.84 in some instances - the equivalent of £320 million every year. Either continuous driving over cracked or uneven road surfaces, or the sudden jolting of a deep pothole, can cause damage to shock absorbers, springs, upper and lower arms and stabiliser bars. Scotland leads the way for claims recording pothole related suspension failure (22.82%) followed by the North East (12.66%), Anglia (12.50%), the North West (11.57%), Greater London (11.03%), Wales (10.77%), the East Midlands (9.39%), the South East (8.33%), and the West Midlands (8.04%). The latest ALARM report (Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance) says that engineers are simply 'patching up' roads rather than investing for the long term. It highlights a staggering £1.6bn shortfall in funding which has left them with a ten year backlog. But despite the astonishing rates of failure recorded by Warranty Direct, year on year, the national average for suspension failures has recorded a marginal fall from 12.43 to 11.38 percent. Duncan McClure Fisher, of Warranty Direct, said: "Suspension failure is now a real problem for the motorist. It seems unfair that the public should be financially penalised once again for choosing to drive on our roads. "Given the thousands of things that can go wrong with a modern car, suspension failure is almost reaching critical levels. Unfortunately, you really do risk the health of your car on certain roads." Jim Crick, Chairman of The Asphalt Industry Alliance, which produces the annual ALARM Report, added: "The patch and mend mentality is a very poor use of funding. "If local authorities fail to take up the challenge there is likely to be a heavy price to pay, not just to catch up with the maintenance programme, but for businesses, communities and the environment, not to mention the implications for safety."