Glasgow has the highest number of pothole damage claims in the UK, new research has found.
The AA , the UK's largest motoring organisation, asked councils across the UK to reveal the areas with the highest number of reported potholes and damage claims since 2018 - and Glasgow ranks top.
The research found that just three percent of claims lead to any compensation in Glasgow, with 121 claims compensated despite a whopping 3,678 claims made between April 2018 to June 2021.
The AA also found that Glasgow had the tenth highest number of potholes reported during that period, despite ranking first for the number of claims in the UK.
Glasgow had 38,100 potholes reported over the three-year period, although the research found that during those three years 34,592 potholes were repaired.
The motoring group asked councils from across the UK how many claims they received between April 2018 and June 2021, and how many have been compensated. It sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to over 90 local councils across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and 51 councils responded.
It was found that in total 43,947 pothole damage claims were made to the 51 councils, but only 13,187 claims (30 percent) were compensated during the same period.
Compensation is only available for potholes where it was reported and not fixed within the council’s set timescales, or they decided it could be repaired at a later date.
The only other Scottish area that appeared on the top 10 for pothole claims was Fife, which came in tenth with 1,160 damage claims made and 122 compensated claims - that's one more compensated claim than Glasgow.
Fife also came in fifth for the most reported potholes in the UK, with 57,051 reported potholes between April 2018 to June 2021. They also repaired 55,617 potholes during this period.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, commented: "Potholes are a frustration to all drivers and are a blight on our roads.
"While they are annoying for car drivers, potholes can be fatal to those on two wheels. As the government seeks to encourage more active travel, walking out to a moon-like surface won’t install confidence to would-be cyclists.
"For too long, both central and local governments blame each other for the lack of funding in maintaining our road surfaces. It’s time both got round the table and heavily invested in smoother, safer streets."
Avoiding damage on roads with potholes
If you’re driving on a road with potholes there are some ways you can try to stay safe and avoid damage to your vehicle:
- Maintain plenty of distance from any vehicles in front of you. They may swerve or brake suddenly to avoid a pothole, and this also allows you to have good visibility of the road condition.
- If you can see you’re approaching a pothole, try to slow down and steer away from it to avoid driving over it and potentially causing damage to your car.
- Be particularly cautious of cyclists who need to take extra care around potholes and may therefore need to move away from the kerb and into the road to steer clear of them.
Have you been affected by potholes in your area? Let us know in the comments.
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