RAC rush to help 10,000 drivers crippled by potholes in just three months – a shocking 39% rise on last year!
Roads in Ruin: Pothole Damage Soars
RAC patrols came to the rescue of 10,076 motorists battered by potholes from January to March 2024. That’s a staggering 39% increase compared to the same period last year. The damage seen includes smashed shock absorbers, snapped suspension springs, and warped wheels – the telltale signs of Britain’s crumbling road surfaces.
More pothole-related breakdowns were reported than any quarter since early 2021. Even worse, these breakdowns have more than doubled since the last three months of 2022, when 4,915 drivers suffered similar roadside misery.
Freezing Winters, Shattered Wheels
The RAC also flagged a 14% hike in wheel changes year-on-year. While some were caused by nails and screws, many resulted from frost-shattered roads following the harsh December freeze. As the biting cold cracked tarmac, UK roads only got worse, leaving drivers to pay the price.
Drivers Left to Foot the Bill
The RAC’s long-running Pothole Index shows drivers are now 1.6 times more likely to break down due to potholes than they were 17 years ago. Yet councils dodge responsibility, refusing compensation unless a pothole was officially reported or spotted during maintenance checks.
As RAC roads spokesman Simon Williams put it:
“The high number of call-outs our patrols have attended in the first three months of the year – and the enormous increase compared to a year ago – is nothing short of scandalous.”
“Drivers are telling us that the UK’s local roads are in a worse state than ever and it’s hard to disagree looking at some of the craters that litter so many of our carriageways.”
“It’s not right that drivers who are struggling to make ends meet are having to fork out for new tyres, wheels, suspension springs and shock absorbers simply because our roads have been allowed to fall into such a dire state of repair.”
Calls for Government Action Grow Louder
With the Asphalt Industry Alliance estimating it would cost nearly £14 billion to fix UK roads properly, Mr Williams said the government must step up.
“The extra pothole funding promised to councils just isn’t enough. We implore the Government to think differently to end the pothole plague once and for all.”
“One way could be to ringfence a proportion of fuel duty revenue for the maintenance, repair and improvement of our local roads, because as it stands the £28bn collected from drivers is currently just another form of general taxation.”
“Drivers contribute billions in tax every year and it is ridiculous that the roads remain in such an awful state.”
To protect yourself, report dangerous potholes immediately via the RAC website or contact your local council directly.
