British motorists potty over potholes

Smash, bang, wallop... what a pothole!

As loose fillings depart rattled drivers' mouths all over the UK, it has emerged that there's a (large) financial pain to bear on top of the destroyed dentistry - potholes on British roads are costing motorists cash; as well as taxpayers. And, not surprisingly, insurance companies are none too happy either.

The average compensation claim paid out by local councils to motorists with pothole-damaged cars is £200 and last year, there were 22,000 successful claims. It is estimated that poor road maintenance costs drivers six times more than it costs councils to simply fill the holes.

Motorists are often reluctant to make insurance claims for pothole damage. “Drivers are unwilling to claim as they risk losing their no-claims bonus. The cost of repair may be less than the rise in premium,” says Simon Douglas of AA Insurance.

Chris Reagan of Coventry pays £445 road tax on his Audi A6 Allroad and says the roads on his area are “shameful.”

“I use the M69 for my commute. If the motorways become as bad it would be awful,” he says.

Camilla Dyson from Sheffield shares her tale of woe after buying an 18-month old VW Golf two years ago: “I sold the car last week. I got next to nothing for it. It was wrecked. The roads in Sheffield are a disgrace.”

To make matters worse for Britain’s beleaguered motorists already hit by rising fuel duty and road tax, the Government has told the Highways Agency to ignore motorway potholes smaller than a soup bowl (although the size of soup bowl doesn’t appear to have been specified...) from 2015. Problems that can be caused by hitting a pothole go beyond a mere flat tyre - at high speed, a small pothole can crack a driveshaft, bust a shock absorber or snap a suspension coil.


By Georgia Lewis

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