The annual PIT Report or Pothole Impact Tracker for Kwik Fit, shows that over the last twelve months the total cost of pothole damage to British drivers has risen to a staggering £1.7 billion.
This figure is a 35% increase on the previous year of £1.2bn, a rise which could be partly explained by the higher traffic volumes in the last twelve months than in the year to March 2021 – the first year of the pandemic. However, it is notable that the latest figure is nearly half a billion pounds higher than in the year before Covid hit our habits.
The number of British drivers experiencing pothole problems has risen, with 59% of drivers saying they have hit at least one a week over the last year, up from 46% in 2021. Some 13.3 million motorists say their car has suffered damage in the last year as a result of a pothole impact, with the average individual repair bill coming to £132.
Of the 13.3 million drivers who experienced damage after a pothole impact, the research found that 50% faced damage to their tyres. This was followed by wheel damage in 29% of cases, damaged suspension (also 29%) and steering (18%). For 12% of drivers facing with damage the impact was severe enough to cause bodywork damage, while for one in ten (10%) damages were to engine components.
Kwik Fit’s research has found that when it comes to the road surfaces in their local area, almost three times as many drivers think conditions have deteriorated in the last year as believe they have got better. 46% of drivers say the road surfaces have got worse in the last twelve months, compared to 16% who say they have improved.
