Van leasing customers warned of pothole risk
Tuesday 23 February 2010 Back to Blog
Drivers should not attempt to swerve out of the way of potholes as doing so can lead to accidents, van leasing customers have been told.
A survey carried out by road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist found that over half of motorists had crashed or had a near-miss when attempting to avoid potholes.
With a vast increase in the number of potholes on the UK's roads thanks to an unusually cold winter, the study revealed that over 50 per cent of drivers have suffered damage to their vehicles as a result.
However, they had also largely failed to combat the problem, with 70 per cent never having reported a pothole to their local council.
Meanwhile, only one in five had claimed compensation against the council for the cost of damage, which they are legally entitled too if the council is aware of the hole.
David Williams, chief executive of GEM, said: "Potholes are not simply just a nuisance they are a massive road safety issue."
The AA argued recently that the government should spend the funds raised from an increased VAT on petrol on fixing the country's potholes.
Posted by Adam Smith