It looks like the pothole problem in the UK is deeper than it seems.
A rear axle breaking in half; burst tyres; and a pothole so bad it left a motorist stuck – these are just some of the actual claims insurance and breakdown cover provider the AA has recently dealt with. Worse, the insurer reports a 171% surge in the number of pothole claims for the first four months of 2018 compared to the same period last year.
In fact, according to the AA, the number of pothole-related car insurance claims made from January to April has already surpassed the 2017 total. Let that thought sink in for a while.
“In most cases the damage caused by a pothole – a ruined tyre or even two tyres and perhaps a wheel rim – doesn’t justify making an insurance claim given that it is likely to lead to the loss of your excess and no-claim bonus,” said Janet Connor, the AA’s director of insurance. “So the claims we are seeing are clearly much worse than that.
“Drivers are hitting potholes and ruining their suspension, steering, the underbody of the car, breaking axles and occasionally being knocked off course and hitting other vehicles, kerbs, or lamp-posts.”
She added that 2018 has seen an increase in pothole claims involving “severely damaged and un-driveable” vehicles – something the insurance executive said was unheard of in 2017. In terms of financial impact, the AA estimates the claims to be costing drivers and insurers at least £1 million monthly.
“The pothole epidemic has become nothing short of a national disgrace,” commented Connor.
Meanwhile the insurer has launched a campaign aimed at addressing the issue. Called “#FlagitFunditFillit,” the initiative urges motorists to ‘flag it’ by sending photographic evidence of potholes to the authorities in order to highlight the problem’s extent.
“We are also calling on the government to ‘fund it’ by ring-fencing 2 pence per litre of current fuel duty to create a £1 billion ‘pothole fund’ specifically to be channelled to local councils so they can get on top of their pothole problem,” said Connor. “With that funding, councils can then ‘fill it’ and make their local roads safe for all road users whether on four wheels, two, or on foot.
“That way, compensation payments that could otherwise be used to keep roads in good repair, should dramatically fall.”
Have you encountered a pothole issue in your area? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
