Almost half of all UK motorists have now resorted to deliberately avoiding certain roads that are blighted by potholes, according to new research by Citroen.
Meanwhile 73% of drivers reckon Britain’s cratered roads are a genuine ‘danger’ to anyone using them.
Drive anywhere in the UK and you can’t fail to notice the state of the roads.
Citroen points out that between 2017 and 2021, police forces in England and Wales recorded 1,114 accidents resulting in injury due to a ‘defective road surface’, with 355 people seriously injured and 16 killed.
Those figures are taken from official stats released by the Department for Transport in September last year.
And now Citroen has polled 2,000 UK drivers to find out how the fear of potholes is impacting driver attitudes and habits.
Three quarters of those surveyed (75%) said that damage sustained to their car by a pothole had required repairs to their vehicle.
Of those who had suffered car damage, only 14% said they’d claimed compensation from their local authority.
Unsurprisingly, 68% of respondents said that they felt the roads in the UK had become worse over the past six years.
Meanwhile almost half of all drivers (46%) told Citroen that there are roads they ‘avoid completely due to the fear and risk of damage’.
The East Midlands was found to be the region where drivers felt most concerned about the state of the roads, with 56% of respondents saying the roads in their area have got worse.
This can be compared to London – the area that reflects the least decline in road conditions – with only 18% of drivers reporting that their local roads had deteriorated.
So, how do you combat the pothole blight? Leasing a Citroen might help.
The Citroen C5 X - a unique estate-SUV crossover - features ‘Progressive Hydraulic Cushion’ technology, which integrates hydraulic bump stops into the suspension system to better control compression and rebound on damaged surfaces.
The new C5 X also comes as standard with Advanced Comfort seats, which again makes for a more comfortable ride, even on the bumpiest of surfaces.
Greg Taylor, Managing Director of Citroën UK, said: “The people of the UK are clearly concerned about the state of our roads. The Citroën Advanced Comfort Programme mitigates the discomfort of driving on broken road surfaces, and limits the shock and impact of hitting a pothole for drivers, but it is clear that more work needs to be done to improve surfaces across the country, and to restore public confidence.”
The latest research follows findings from Citroen in May, which identified that the total cost of compensation claims paid out last year, because of pothole damage, totalled £22.7m – equivalent to the average cost of filling 340,000 potholes.
Citroen also compared Asphalt Industry Alliance figures over the last six years and found that, since 2017, a total of £139.9m had been spent on damage compensation, which could have filled an additional 2.3m potholes.
You can lease the Citroen C5 X with Select Car Leasing from just £418 per month*.
*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 26/07/23.
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