The 15th of January 2016 marked the second-ever National Pothole Day, which has been introduced in the last few years to highlight the issue of potholes and encourage the reporting of their locations.
What crisis?
To coincide with this day, the RAC have released figures on the number of call-outs they receive as a result of potholes on Britain’s roads. In 2015, the organisation was called out to more than 25,000 pothole-related breakdowns, showing a significant rise of 24 per cent year-on-year. The south-east saw the biggest rise, with 62 per cent more call-outs than the previous year. East Anglia is the area most affected by potholes, with the RAC reporting more than 4500 call-outs in the region. Damage to vehicles typically occurs on wheels, suspension springs, and shock absorbers.
Roads usually deteriorate in the winter due to ice and snow freezing roads and causing cracks. However, the past few winters have been relatively mild, so there is fear that this increase is as a result of a historic build-up.
What is being done to address the situation?
In the Autumn Statement, the government stated that they would be adding an additional £250 million over the next five years to the budget of £6 billion that is already in place to tackle this issue. However, there is concern from major motoring organisations, including the likes of the AA and RAC, that this does not even come close to what is required. Even the government’s own estimate of the repair back-log is reported to be around £8.6 billion. As a result there is additional apprehension that local authorities may attempt to save money by patching up problem areas, when what is really needed is some serious preventative work.
You can report potholes on the government’s pothole reporting site or on various other sites, including streetrepairs.co.uk and fillthathole.org.uk. If the damage is already done and you need a new car quickly, companies like http://www.rightdrive.co.uk that offer guaranteed car finance in Portsmouth can help you get back on the road.
Potholes are not only a major cause of damage to cars; they are also putting lives at risk on our roads. Despite huge investments and promised funds, the government’s current plans do not appear to go far enough.
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