Pothole-related breakdowns up 20% in a year

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Mon, 21 Aug 2023

Pothole-related breakdowns spiked by more than a fifth in July 2023 as local councils blamed wet weather for a growing backlog in road repairs.

More than 50,000 journeys were brought to a halt due to pothole-related damage, according to the AA Pothole Index analysis of breakdown data. This compares to 41,790 in July 2022.

As this information is from AA breakdown data, the true number of journeys brought to a premature end due to pothole damage is likely to be higher still.

So far in 2023, the AA has, remarkably, attended 362,172 pothole-related incidents. This means 2023 is on track to be the third-worst year for pothole-related breakdowns, behind only 2017 and 2018.

The AA says councils normally use the dry summer months to fix roads ahead of winter. Unseasonably wet weather in July has hampered their progress – and also concealed the potholes that have caught so many motorists out.

“July’s rainfall caused more headaches for drivers,” said AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens, “with tyres, suspensions and steering mechanisms all being damaged as the rain and puddles hid the potholes lurking beneath.

“Councils would’ve been hoping for a dry summer so they could get as much repair work carried out before the real autumn and winter weather hit.

“They will now be under more pressure to get their planned works completed before the weather really turns against them.”

Cousens added that, with 2023 set to be one of the worst years on record for pothole damage, it is essential that there’s more investment in local roads maintenance funding.

“As well as the financial damage to vehicles, at this time of year we also see more cyclists and motorbike riders on the roads, where the damage can sadly be fatal.”

Ask HJ

Why don't motorways get potholes?

Our weather is frequently blamed for causing many of the potholes we're currently subjected to. If that is the case, why do motorways not suffer similarly especially with the high volume of traffic?

If you haven't experienced a pothole on a motorway then count yourself lucky, but local roads suffer more from potholes because they are built to a lower standard than motorways. Urban roads aren't generally built to cope with high volumes of traffic and heavy goods vehicles, whereas motorways have to be able to handle 44 tonnes of HGVs day and night. It's also worth mentioning that local roads are the responsibility of local councils, whereas motorways are looked after by Highways England, who likely have access to a bigger budget.

Answered by David Ross

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