Potholes causing mayhem for drivers
06/02/2008
Further to a damning report last year which revealed damage to vehicles
from potholes and bad road surfaces amounted to £320 million in 2006, 2007
showed little improvement according to figures released by the AA motoring
organisation. The latest statistics show that 12% or 120,000 out of all
of the UK's one million potholes are not being filled by local councils,
which means that repair bills are now soaring every year because of the
lack of maintenance by government authorities. This presents a worrying
situation for motorists says TyreSafe a not for profit, non commercial
organisation set-up to promote tyre safety and raise the awareness of the
dangers of driving on defective or badly worn tyres as there are signs a
turnaround in the level of maintenance of the UK's roads is still a long
way off. It is estimated by the Local Government Association that it would
need another £200m a year to reach the target the government has set for
filling in potholes by 2010. Motorists are most at risk from potholes in
hours of darkness or in periods of reduced visibility, with added dangers
for those who are more exposed on motorcycles. Frequently, damage to the
tyre is not immediately visible, and therefore motorists may be unaware of
this until a potentially catastrophic failure occurs, thus putting the
vehicle occupants and other road users at risk. Furthermore, at high speed,
alignment of the wheel may be affected, thereby promoting uneven tyre wear
and the potential for a tyre blow-out.