One in four (29%) UK drivers have damaged their car on speedhumps or potholes, rising to almost one in three (32%) in rural areas.
The Opinium research of over 2000 drivers, on behalf of InsuretheGap.com, found that of those who have damaged their car on a speedbump or pothole, nearly half (45%) paid up to £100 to fix their car; a third (34%) between £101 and £250; and one in ten (10%) paid over £250.
A third (35%) of those whose car had been damaged complained to the council about the potholes or speedhumps. 20% said their complaint was ignored, but 14% said action was taken as a result. One in ten (11%) even sent their damage bill to the council.
A quarter (25%) said they had considered complaining “but didn’t see the point as nothing would change”, 14% complained to their relevant Highways Agency, and 9% complained on social media.
Nearly a sixth (16%) now take a longer route to avoid potholes.
Local authorities filled 1.5m potholes in the 2019-20 financial year, the equivalent of one pothole being repaired every 21 seconds in England and Wales; and also paid out over £3.5 million (between 2018 – 2019) in compensation to pothole damage victims (research by Leasecar.UK, Jan 2020).
Ben Wooltorton, COO, InsuretheGap.com, said, “Potholes are the bane of every motorist’s life, which as well as potentially causing hundreds of pounds worth of vehicle damage can also cause dangerous driving, as drivers swerve to avoid them. Motorists looking to steer clear of needless damage to their cars would do well to choose routes away from large speedbumps and of course potholes, which unfortunately are only going to get worse as the winter progresses.”
How to claim for pothole damage.