9 June 2023
Breakdowns due to pothole damage dropped by a mere 4% in May* compared to the previous month, the AA’s Pothole Index reveals. In May, the 49,801 incidents (more than 1,600 a day) attended by the AA was second only to the 53,984 in May 2018. In April 2023, the AA attended 52,070 pothole related breakdowns.
While local authorities started to get to grip with the plague of road damage caused by winter and patchy maintenance over many years, the number of breakdowns caused by potholes was the second highest recorded by the index since it started in 2017.
“the sheer number of potholes means the odds are stacked against road users.”
Seeing potholes on the road will become easier as we enter the summer, and in drier conditions there tends to be more motorcyclists and cyclists on the roads. However, the awful state of road surfaces means riders on two-wheels are more at risk as they try to dodge and swerve the ruts and cracks.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said; “Such has been extent of damage to UK roads, caused by winter’s ravages and poor road maintenance over many years, that the May bank holiday road travellers ran the risk of major damage and repair bills – particularly if they ventured off the main roads into the country.
“The big concern is the extra risk posed for the increased number of cyclists and bikers on to the road. Yes, the drier weather might have made the potholes easier to spot, but the sheer number of potholes means the odds are stacked against road users.”
* Analysis of AA Breakdown statistics, 2017-2023