True cost of Britain's pothole crisis revealed: Here's the typical repair bill to fix battered vehicles

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

Failing to avoid one of the millions of potholes on Britain's roads can be a costly affair, according to a new study revealing the value of garage bills to fix damaged vehicles.
For those unable to steer around craters last year, the average associated repair bill rang in at £320, according to IAM RoadSmart.
However, other drivers were forced to stump up more than three times that amount to repair or replaced damaged tyres, suspension components and steering parts.
Some 5 per cent say they paid more than £1,000 getting their motors fixed after driving through a pothole during the 12-month period.
The road safety charity said they are not just a 'danger to motorists and cyclists alike' but they have become a 'substantial financial burden' on drivers.
The RAC estimates there are over one million potholes on our roads, though the actual number varies by season and council maintenance schedules.
The poll of almost 2,000 motorists found that a fifth had been left no option but to pay for pothole repairs in 2024.
A quarter got away relatively lightly with garage receipts amounting to up to £200, while another quarter spent between £300 and £600 on having their motors rectified.
For one in five drivers, the cost of colliding with a pothole isn't a rare occurrence.
Some 22 per cent of those surveyed said they are having to splash out of crater-related garage bills at least once a year, with many discovering retrospective issues during annual servicing and MOTs.
And it's not just costs that are surging as motorists told the charity that they are increasingly having to take evasive action - sometimes dangerously - to dodge damaging craters.
The study also highlighted that three quarters of drivers have slammed on the brakes to avoid potholes on journeys in the last 12 months, while almost all motorists (99 per cent) admitted to driving or riding in the middle of the road to avoid them.
The same proportion were found to have swerved at the last minute to dodge potholes, and more than nine in ten confessed to being distracted scanning for potholes up ahead rather than concentrating on what's going on immediately around them on the road.
The poll revealed 52 per cent of motorists think the roads have deteriorated in the past 12 months.
Earlier this year, the Government announced a £1.6billion investment to improve road conditions and repair seven million potholes by 2026.
However, research published earlier this year by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) revealed a one-off cost of £16.8billion was needed just to bring UK roads up to an adequate condition, while half of our local roads have less than 15 years of useable life left in them.
Nicholas Lyes, of IAM RoadSmart, said: 'Potholes are not just a costly inconvenience; they pose a danger to motorists and cyclists alike.
'The financial burden on motorists due to pothole damage can be substantial, with many facing unexpected repair bills of hundreds of pounds.
'In 2023, there was a 12 percent year-on-year increase in the number of casualties where defective road surfaces where identified as a contributory factor.
'Addressing this issue is crucial to ensuring the safety of our roads and reducing the economic impact on motorists and businesses alike.'
Are road conditions getting worse? The Government says so...
The nations motorists are having to contend with worsening road conditions, the Government has admitted.
The Department for Transport's Road conditions in England to March 2024 report highlights a growing proportion of busy 'A' roads falling into a poor state of disrepair.
The report categorises road condition by a traffic light coding system.
While the volume of 'red' roads - those that should be investigated fully over concerns about the condition - have remained static, the report uncovered that the number of A roads moving from 'green' condition (no work is needed) to 'amber' status (maintenance may be required soon) has jumped in the last two years.
Since 2022, the proportion of 'green' A roads decreased by four percentage points from 72 per cent to 68 per cent in 2024, while 'amber' roads increased by three percentage points from 24 per cent to 27 per cent in 2024.
The report also shows that the number of 'B' and 'C' roads – which together account for 29 per cent of local authority managed roads in England – now classified as 'amber' has increased by 3 per cent, from 28 per cent in 2022 to 31 per cent in 2024.
The percentage of red road has risen from 6 per cent in 2022 to 7 per cent in 2024.
While this represents just a fraction of the country's road network, it is equivalent to approximately 500 miles of local and rural 'B' and 'C' roads.
Our five-step guide to making pothole compensation claims
1. Collect the evidence
If you're a motorist looking to make a claim for a repair bill for pothole-related damage, or a cyclist putting in a damage or personal injury claim after hitting one in the road, the first port of call is to make a note of where the pothole is located, the time and date of the incident, and take a photo of the pothole.
A pothole needs to be at least 2 inches deep to be deemed a pothole in the eyes of councils.
And it's not just the depth and size of the pothole that councils will try to use to refuse paying out compensation.
Local authorities may defend a claim if they successfully argue that the pothole was not an obvious hazard - or if they were unaware of it, despite having in place a reasonable system of inspection and repair.
To improve your chances of a successful claim, it will help to demonstrate whether the pothole was an obvious danger or not.
Where possible, take photos at the scene, just in case the council repairs the pothole before you can return to take them.
If you didn't do this at the time of the incident, you can return to the scene to take pictures.
You should also take a photos of the damage the pothole has caused to your vehicle (or person, if you have been injured).
If possible, take your car to a garage and ask for a mechanic's report in writing for the projected cost to fix the issue caused – or if your motor isn't drivable, phone a reputable repair centre and request a quote.
2. Work out who is to blame
To make a claim for compensation, first you need to know who should pay out.
If the pothole is on a motorway or main trunk road, the chances are it is a National Highways (formerly Highways England) problem.
For local roads, you will need to research which council is responsible.
Once you've identified the party you need to contact, request a copy of highway maintenance schedules and number of reported incidents on the particular road for the previous 14 days as evidence that the road hasn't been properly maintained or a reported pothole hasn't been addressed.
3. Make the claim
You'll need to issue a formal claim to the local authority or National Highways and most responsible parties will have a template you can request from them.
4. What to do if you do - or don't - get a compensation offer
After making the claim, you should be notified if compensation is being granted.
Though you can still reject the value of the offer if you believe it isn't sufficient, especially if you have evidence that the pothole had already been reported but the responsible party had not acted to rectify it.
If the council refuses compensation, you can seek legal advice or make a case through the courts.
However, a word of warning that this could be a time-consuming process and is likely to be worthwhile only if the repair bill is considerable.
5. Final option: Make a claim through your insurance
If you have comprehensive cover, you can claim for pothole damage on your insurance policy.
However, it's worth considering the cost of the damage as well as your excess payments and if this action will affect your No Claims Bonus.