Vehicle insurance and breakdown cover company AA has released its latest annual Pothole Index, which revealed that October 2023 was the worst October it has ever recorded for pothole callouts.
AA patrols attended a record 52,541 pothole callouts during the month, a 12% increase compared to October last year, while edging out the previous record holder of October 2017 by 389 callouts.
The cumulative total now stands at 510,932 for 2023, averaging 1,591 a day.
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A recent AA survey of 11,678 drivers showed that 96% of respondents supported calls for increased investment in road repairs, particularly potholes.
The company said this highlighte the urgent need for the state of Britain’s roads to be addressed by the government and local councils.
Alongside the announced cancellation of phase 2 of the HS2 phase 2 project, the government said £8.3bn would be redistributed for the the long-term funding of local roads maintenance across England.
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Tony Rich, public relations manager, AA, said: “Continuous poor weather and storms such as Babet, Cairan and Debi are having a two-fold effect on driving conditions.
“What feels like relentless rainwater is covering and increasing the severity of potholes while holding back essential road repairs by rightly diverting roads maintenance crews to tackle fallen trees and flooded areas.
“The £8.3bn Road Maintenance Fund will offer some respite for drivers, but with the first instalment not being made until April 2024, the funding can’t come soon enough. We are also pleased that councils will be encouraged to use the money to resurface streets rather than patch and run. Ensuring the structural integrity of the roads is key to road safety.
“Until then, our advice to drivers and those on two wheels is to avoid puddles where safe to do so, but if there is no alternative other than to travel through, then reduce your speed and keep an increased distance from the vehicle in front.”
Achievements and innovations in road safety will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations officially open in March 2024. Please visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector.
