RAC says pothole-related breakdowns up 39%

The RAC has said its patrols assisted more than 10,000 drivers with pothole-related breakdowns in the first three months of the year, a 39% increase on the same period a year ago.

The motoring organisation said damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels are most likely caused by poor road surfaces and accounted for more call-outs than in any other three-month period since January to March 2021.

The number of pothole-related breakdowns more than doubled from the 4,915 seen in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 10,076.

The RAC said its long-term Pothole Index suggests that drivers are now 1.6 times more likely to break down due to the repeated wear caused by potholes than they were 17 years ago.

Spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘The high number of call-outs our patrols have attended in the first three months of the year – and the enormous increase compared to a year ago – is nothing short of scandalous.

‘Drivers are telling us that the UK’s local roads are in a worse state than ever and it’s hard to disagree looking at some of the craters that litter so many of our carriageways.’

He added: ‘With the Asphalt Industry Alliance reporting that it would take nearly £14bn to restore the UK’s roads to a fit-for-purpose condition, it’s impossible to see a way back from where we are without the Government finally recognising there’s a problem and coming up with a new way to solve it. The extra pothole funding promised to councils just isn’t enough.

‘A change in funding strategy is massively overdue, not least as the lion’s share of car tax paid to the DVLA by England’s drivers goes to England’s major roads, whereas we estimate the budget for local roads is only around a seventh of that – despite the fact there are seven times more miles of minor roads.’