The places your car is most likely to suffer pothole damage

by ReenaSewraz on 07 March 2013  |  13 comments
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New research reveals pothole damage hotspots are mainly found in the north.

Drivers in Scotland and the north of England are up to three times more likely to experience pothole related damage to their vehicles according to new research from Potholes.co.uk and Warranty Direct.

Potholes are a major cause of axle and suspension failure; a problem that accounts for one in five mechanical failures each year.

Using 50,00 live policies, the study was able to determine the areas where this sort of claim was most common, revealing some likely hotspots for particularly bad potholes.

Hotspots

Here are the top ten hotpots for suspension failure thought to be down to the long-term effects of pothole damage.

Source: Warranty Direct for Potholes.co.uk

As you can see seven of the top ten regions for suspension failure are located in Scotland and three are located in the north of England.

Potholes.co.uk believes this is largely the fault of underinvestment in road maintenance.

Duncan McClure Fisher, managing director of Warranty Direct, said that because places like Scotland had a higher concentration of rural roads these got less attention from local authorities compared to major highways.

Overall the top 20 areas for this sort of vehicle damage are dominated by northern counties.

Meanwhile the analysis revealed that southern areas including Hampshire (3.88%), Dorset (3.75%), Devon (3.46%), Somerset (3.42%) and East Sussex (3.17%) had the lowest suspension failure rate.

Rocky road costs

Potholes.co.uk estimates the average repair cost for an axle and suspension fault is £257.

Each year £2.8 billion is spent on these repairs, which are thought to be largely caused by poorly maintained roads as well as long-term damage from other lumps and bumps like speed humps.

But despite these startling figures, road maintenance in the UK continues to be underfunded.

The Chancellor granted a £333 million fund for essential road maintenance in his Autumn Statement and it is expected that £215 million will be shared among councils to deal with local roads.

But despite this boost Which? revealed back in January that we would need a figure closer to £12.93 billion to clear the backlog of work.

What you can do

Damage from potholes can ruin your day as well as burn a hole in your finances.

But what can you do about it?

Well, you can try claiming compensation from your local council. In January research from Which? revealed that councils in England and Wales had paid out more than £22 million in compensation to road users who suffered  pothole related damage last year.

You can find out how you can go about it and what your claim is likely to total in: Claim compensation for pothole damage to your car, bike or motorcycle.

Pothole sightings

Have you suffered pothole related damage to your car recently? Were you able to make a successful claim?

Tell us all about it in the comment box below.

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Claim compensation for pothole damage to your car, bike or motorcycle