Breakdowns caused by pothole damage fell by just four per cent during May, according to new figures released by the RAC.
The breakdown company attended 49,801 incidents – more than 1,600 per day – caused by potholes. This figure was second only to the 53,984 pothole-related incidents recorded in May 2018. During April 2023, the RAC went out to 52,070 pothole-related breakdowns.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Such has been extent of damage to UK roads, caused by winter’s ravages and poor road maintenance over many years, that the May bank holiday road travellers ran the risk of major damage and repair bills – particularly if they ventured off the main roads into the country.
“The big concern is the extra risk posed for the increased number of cyclists and bikers on to the road. Yes, the drier weather might have made the potholes easier to spot, but the sheer number of potholes means the odds are stacked against road users.”
Though the RAC says that local authorities have ‘started to get a grip’ on the ‘plague’ of potholes caused by winter and ‘patchy maintenance’, it adds that the state of the roads means that motorists on two wheels are more at risk. The RAC adds that drier conditions do tend to mean that there are more motorcyclists and cyclists on the road, too, meaning that more people are in danger of pothole-related accidents.