If you’ve experienced vehicle damage after clattering over a pothole, you’re not alone.
Because a new survey by Skoda has found that more than a quarter (27%) of British motorists have had their car damaged by road craters.
The Skoda data - gleaned from a poll of 2,000 UK drivers - reveals the average overall repair cost for a damaged vehicle as a result of a pothole exceeds £200.
And the most common issues were punctures (47%), followed by tracking misalignment (26%) and a cracked spring (22%).
The regions encountering the most damage were the North East and South West of England, while the region in which the fewest vehicle repairs needed to be carried out was the East Midlands.
The Skoda stats come after the Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) organisation issued its own report on the state of the UK’s battered highways.
The ALARM report found 1.4 million potholes were filled in the last year – down from 1.7 million the previous period.
That equates to one pothole having to be repaired every 22 seconds.
Meanwhile the ALARM document also shows there’s an enormous backlog of road repairs needed in England and Wales - repairs that’ll ultimately cost around £14.02 billion to remedy.
Overall, £93.7 million was spent filling in potholes in 2022/23, but the report also found that one in every nine miles of the local road network in England and Wales is likely to require maintenance in the next 12 months.
So what can lease customers do to try and alleviate the bone-shaking problem?
Skoda points out that its connected cars are equipped with something called a ‘Local Hazard Information Service’. It uses swarm data intelligence to warn drivers about upcoming road hazards - including potholes - which is displayed through the touchscreen.
The good news here is that you can enjoy Skoda’s Local Hazard Information Service on a whole host of its cars, running from the affordable Fabia hatchback (below) to the all-electric Enyaq iV - and pretty much everything in between.
Bear in mind that you can currently lease a Skoda Scala with Select Car Leasing from just £161 per month*.
In recent days Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced he was giving local authorities an extra £200 million to help fund road repairs.
We’ve also got an exclusive guide - a crash course, as you will - on how to be pothole savvy when behind the wheel.
*Prices include VAT. Credit is Subject to Status, Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply. Excess mileage may apply. Stock levels and prices correct as of 21/03/23.
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