A SURVEY carried out by road safety organisation, GEM Motoring Assist (GEM), reveals half of UK drivers have had a crash or a near miss while swerving to avoid a pothole.
Committed to the safety of all road users, GEM developed the survey due to the huge rise in the number of potholes on UK roads since the bad weather and snow earlier this month. However, despite the high percentage of drivers affected by potholes, GEM was shocked to find that almost 70 per cent of those surveyed had never reported a pothole in their area to the local council.
In spite of not taking the time to report dangerous potholes, nine out of ten motorists believe that local councils are not doing enough to repair the damage to the roads. Reports show there is already a huge backlog of repairs needed in all areas of the country and the widespread cold and frost has added to the problems. Certain estimates put the total cost of repairs at £100 million.
Interestingly, councils appear to be getting away with not having to spend even more money. The survey shows more than half of UK drivers have suffered damage to their cars from potholes but only five per cent have made a claim against their local council for the damage. This is largely due to ignorance, as a massive 88 per cent of motorists admitted they were unaware of the procedure to follow to make a claim if their vehicle was damaged as a result of a pothole. Some also did not know they could claim for this type of damage at all.
In response to the survey findings, GEM has set up a page on its website to offer advice on how to claim for pothole damage. Visit www.motoringassist.com for more information.