Pothole car damages double in comparison to last Year
The RAC has reported a significant increase in car damage caused by potholes in the UK. They responded to 10,076 incidents of pothole-related damage, showing a 39% increase compared to the previous year. Issues like damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs, and distorted wheels were the most common problems. The number of breakdowns due to potholes more than doubled compared to the fourth quarter of 2022.
The RAC’s Pothole Index indicates that drivers are now 1.6 times more likely to experience breakdowns caused by potholes compared to 17 years ago. The condition of UK roads has worsened due to extreme freezing conditions in December. The RAC urges drivers to report potholes, as councils are not obligated to compensate for vehicle damage unless the potholes have been identified in routine inspections or reported by the public.
The RAC calls for the government to address the issue by providing more funding for road maintenance, considering ringfencing a proportion of fuel duty revenue for local road repairs, and recognizing the disparity in budget allocation between major and minor roads.
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Electric cars damage roads twice as much as petrol counterparts, increasing pothole crisis, reveals analysis
According to analysis by The Telegraph, electric cars are causing twice as much damage to roads compared to petrol cars. This could contribute to the growing pothole crisis in Britain. The wear and tear caused by electric cars on road surfaces is more than double that of petrol cars, potentially leading to an increase in potholes. Last year, only half as many potholes were filled compared to a decade ago, and it is estimated that it would cost £12 billion to repair them all.
Road industry bodies are concerned that the rise of electric cars, with their numbers tripling to 900,000 since 2019, could worsen the problem. The analysis showed that larger electric vehicles weighing over 2,000kg cause the most damage, putting 2.32 times more stress on roads compared to petrol cars. The stress on roads from electric cars leads to movement of asphalt, which can result in small cracks that expand over time, leading to potholes. The analysis was based on the weight assessment of 15 popular electric car models compared to their petrol counterparts, conducted by the University of Leeds.
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