Potholes Are Causing HUNDREDS Of Breakdowns A Day In The UK
New data has revealed that more than 200 breakdowns a day were caused by damage inflicted by potholes in November.
If you’ve driven on any road in the UK, you’ve probably encountered a pothole.
They’re caused by a multitude of factors, including water freezing and then expanding into small cracks, causing the road surface to crack and break apart. They’re also exacerbated by heavy traffic driving through them, adverse weather, and poor maintenance.
And at this time of year, the heavy rainfall doesn’t do drivers any favours…
Because potholes can often be hidden by rainfall, meaning that drivers invertedly head straight into large potholes, which puts a pretty big strain on your vehicle’s suspension and tyres.
Punctures from potholes are more common than you think, particularly when potholes are deeper than you think. As the weather turns cold, our roads are more prone to significant damage, which makes road maintenance more important than ever to avoid drivers having some serious road safety issues.
What’s Happening With Potholes?
Well, that depends on where you live.
Of course, for fleet owners and drivers, it doesn’t matter as much where you live, particularly if you’re driving long-haul or across various areas – you’re probably going to encounter your fair share of potholes along the way.
But fixing road surfaces is down to local authorities, which means each local area has a different level of success rate and responsiveness to fixing troublesome potholes.
Experts are now urging the government to take more control from a central government point of view, arguing that the current system places too much of a burden on local authorities that are already keeping a careful eye on budgets.
The reality is that road maintenance budgets for local councils have fallen in the last couple of years, which means that despite there being more potholes than ever, fewer of them are being dealt with.
Some experts have criticised the negative cycle of pothole repairs which has seen some local authorities opt for cheaper solutions to fill in potholes, which inevitably deteriorate much quicker. The problem with that option is that the pothole will need to be fixed again in a much shorter period than if it was filled in properly.
But there is a bigger picture here – potholes impact road safety.
If you’ve ever weaved around a local road to avoid potholes, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
After all, your focus and attention when you’re driving should be on you and the safety of other road users, pedestrians, and those around you. But adding avoiding potholes and a potentially costly trip to the garage (which could put a fleet vehicle out of action for a while) to the mix just creates more potential for issues.
What do you think of the UK’s current pothole situation? Do you think more could be done to improve road safety through improved road surfaces? Let us know in the comments below.
