Nearly a third of drivers (27%) have had their vehicles damaged by potholes in the last year, according to a new report by RAC. In rural areas, this figure soars to 32%.
As a result of a lack of road maintenance, drivers have had to fork out for expensive repairs with punctures (47%), wheel damage (43%) and broken suspension springs (29%) being the most common problems reported.
This is further underscored by RAC breakdown data, which reveals that the breakdown assistance service dispatched patrols to 25,085 pothole-related incidents in the last 12 months.
The report also revealed that 73% of drivers believe their local roads are in worse condition than the previous year, up from 67% in 2023 and just 49% in 2019.
Figures vary across the UK with a high proportion of respondents in the East Midlands (85%), South-East of England (83%), South-West of England (79%) and London (50%) describing their local roads as in poor condition.
Unsurprisingly, the research found that 56% of drivers considered the condition and maintenance of roads their top motoring concern.
On the figures, Simon Williams, RAC head of policy said: “It’s as clear as day that councils simply haven’t had the financial support they need to bring the standard of the roads in their care up to a reasonable standard.”
The RAC has called for urgent action from the Department of Transport (DfT).
Williams continued: “Put bluntly, the less we spend as a nation on our roads now, the more it will cost us in the future. That’s the pattern we’ve been in for years now, as is clearly shown by data from ourselves and from many other parts of the industry. So, the ultimate question is this – in terms of the inevitable costs we’ll face in the future, can we really afford not to fix our dilapidated roads?”
