Potholes are everywhere
There are potholes all over our roads. With council budgets more stretched than ever before, areas of compromised road are appearing more and more often, and causing worse damage for drivers. According to the RAC, 31,000 pothole based compensation claims were made in 2015/16. This is as many as one claim in the UK every 17 minutes. It is estimated that there are so many potholes in the UK it would take 14 years to fix them all.
Why so many potholes?
Potholes are an issue of national concern. Cold weather causes the damage to form by freezing water that has seeped into cracks in the road surface. This ice then expands, and causes the tarmac to break open. As cars drive over these cracks, they cause the damage to grow them into holes, which expand from the site of the initial crack. This causes their distinctive round shape. Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing make the damage worse.
What damage can a pothole do?
Potholes can cause significant damage to your car. Wheels that hit the holes can be damaged; from immediate bursting to causing problems that will appear further down the line. Vehicle damage caused or started by potholes might have risen by as much as a third. Potholes are also indirectly responsible for accidents, by causing drivers to swerve to avoid them.
What can I do to avoid them?
You can make a claim against your insurance if your car is damaged by a pothole. While the chances of succeeding in a claim are small, you still have the opportunity to make a claim. To stand a better chance, you need to gather as much evidence as you can. This includes taking photographs of the hole, measuring it and taking detailed notes of its location. It is hard to prove that the council responsible for the pothole has been negligent in its upkeep, so few such claims are successful.
You would be better advised to try and avoid hitting compromised road sections in the first place. Be aware of road damage, watch your speed and take all the precautions you can to avoid doing anything that might give you a chance of hitting a hole.
What is the government doing?
The government and local councils are making progress in dealing with potholes – although this is slow. Chris Grayling the transport secretary has announced £100m extra of Government money to go tackling the problem. However, estimates suggest that the budget shortfall to fill in all potholes in the country is £556m. Until more effective action is taken, be careful on the roads and save yourself the hassle.
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