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The RAC attended 10,123 pothole-related call outs in 2021
14 February 2022
The RAC has just released its breakdown data for last year which shows that it attended 10,123 call outs for pothole-related damage in 2021.
Damage from such incidents included broken suspension springs, distorted wheels and damaged shock absorbers.
The figure represents 1.5 per cent of all RAC callouts in 2021 and is an increase of 19 per cent compared with the number of pothole-related breakdowns attended in 2020 (8,524) and 10 per cent more than those attended in 2019 (9,198).
It is now estimated that drivers are over 1.5 times more likely to break down after hitting a pothole today than they were when the ‘pothole index’ began collecting data in 2006.
The Government has allocated £5 billion for local roads maintenance for the period 2020 to 2025. As this is not dedicated solely to road surface repair, but also the maintenance of bridges and any other necessary maintenance, industry experts say the fund is insufficient.
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said, “Inevitably we have plenty of cold weather still to come this winter and we fear that by the spring the number of drivers running into problems will rise even further.
"Not getting our roads into a decent shape is simply storing up more problems – and more expense – for the future.
“Our message to the Government is clear – it’s time the tide was turned when it comes to potholes and local councils are given the levels of funding they need to get their roads up to a reasonable standard.
"Clearly, promises of one-off pots of cash from the Government to fix the problem haven’t done the trick and we urgently need some fresh thinking."
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