Pothole incidents on the rise, claims Kwik Fit
It probably won’t surprise the average motorist at all to hear the findings of a report commissioned by Kwik Fit – the number of vehicles hitting potholes has increased 143 per cent in the last two years. The studies carried out by ICM Research in January 2011 and then in March 2013 indicate that nearly 39 per cent of motorists, some 13 million people, collided with a pothole in the past 12 months, compared with 5.7 million in 2011.
However, Kwik Fit observes that missing a pothole can be just as dangerous as hitting one; 27 per cent of the 2013 study participants say they were forced to swerve on to the other side of the road to avoid a pothole – a 12 per cent increase on 2011. Over the same period, almost twice as many motorists have been forced to a complete sudden stop. Other ways of coming a cropper due to potholes include hitting the kerb (which seven per cent of motorists did) and mounting the pavement (admitted to by five per cent of motorists).
The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s ARLARM 2013 report states that at least 2.2 million potholes were to be found in English and Welsh roads last year. Motorists in the West Midlands have been the worst hit by potholes around the UK, with 71 per cent saying they’ve had to take evasive action. Drivers in Wales have been the luckiest, with ‘only’ 56 per cent of drivers affected. And while the Kwik Fit commissioned study says 54 per cent of drivers found themselves in a situation requiring evasive action to avoid a pothole in 2011, by March 2013 this figure had crept up to 66 per cent. The study also claims 11 per cent of motorists aged between 18 and 24 have been involved in an accident related to evading a pothole and seven per cent of motorists have witnessed an accident caused by one.
“Potholes are a growing problem for motorists, not just through the damage they cause, but the fact that they force drivers to make risky manoeuvres,” said Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit. “A motorist who suddenly veers around a hole, or brakes heavily without warning, will give other road users very little time to react. It’s no surprise that more than three million drivers have either been in, or witnessed an accident caused by a driver avoiding a pothole and this recent spell of freezing weather is only going to make the situation worse.”
Kwik Fit offers a free check over to any motorist who has hit a pothole (or anything else while evading one) and suspects their car may have been damaged. sg
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