Fairer petrol and diesel pricing (68%) and fewer potholes (66%) are the two areas where motorists most want to see action from 2024’s new government, according to the latest research. Also, 45% would like to see moves made to reduce insurance premiums and 32% want to see traffic congestion tackled, shows March’s new monthly Used Car Tracker from Startline Motor Finance. Paul Burgess, CEO at … [Read more...]
Pothole problems deepen as funds dry up
Road safety and breakdown recovery specialist GEM Motoring Assist is warning drivers to be on the look-out for increasingly dangerous potholes. The GEM message comes as council budgets for compensation fall by more than a half, with potholes across the country remaining unrepaired for months at a time. The latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance report suggests 18 per cent of local roads … [Read more...]
Spare tyre gets the boot for nearly all cars
Only 3% of new cars on sale in the UK today come with any form of spare wheel as standard, increasing the number of breakdowns where drivers need help in the event of a unrepairable flat tyre, says the RAC. After reviewing equipment lists of more than 300 car models across 28 brands – everything from the smallest superminis to the largest 4x4s – the RAC found just eight (2.6%) come with a spare, … [Read more...]
Holidaymakers praise foreign roads
The great holiday getaway is underway and an overwhelming majority of UK drivers think the roads they’ve driven on in other European countries put the UK’s potholed-plagued streets to shame, according to new RAC Europe research. As many as 72% of drivers who have experience of driving abroad think the condition of roads – such as the number and severity of potholes – is worse in the UK than in … [Read more...]
Potholes problems see more calls for RAC help
The poor condition of Britain’s local roads is laid bare today by new figures from the RAC which show its patrols went out to more than 8,100 pothole breakdowns between April and June 2023, the highest number in five years. Since the start of 2023, the RAC has dealt with 18,250 breakdowns for damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels – the call-outs which are most … [Read more...]
“Pothole nation” and how to claim for damage
Research from Go.Compare car insurance has revealed UK areas where drivers are likely to face the most potholes and shows how you can claim for damage to your vehicle. Go.Compare submitted more than 300 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to councils across England and Wales, to determine which of the UK’s roads needed the most pothole repair work. It found that Derbyshire County Council tops … [Read more...]
Wales wins by miles with smiles
Driving is smiles better in Wales. The happiest drivers in the country have been announced with motorists in Wales topping the list, a new study reveals. Experts at LeaseCar.uk have crunched the numbers for each region based on factors which are important to drivers when it comes to having an enjoyable trip. Highest amount of traffic levels, most amount of roads (miles), total number of … [Read more...]
Welsh councils filling more potholes at higher costs
This year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey makes bleak reading, with worsening carriageway conditions and mounting costs set to spell more misery for road users. The ALARM survey, published today by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, reports that local authority highway teams in England and Wales only received around two-thirds of what they needed to stop our local roads from further … [Read more...]
Tradelines 15 March
Jaguar will slash its dealer sites from about 80 today to under 20 within two years as it moves to an all-electric line up, sources have told Car Dealer magazine. The existing dealerships will have to consider selling only Land Rover models while the Jaguar range is developed but seen as taking much smaller role and the move will affect accountancy practices by those who have invested in the … [Read more...]
Pothole problems are spreading say RAC
RAC patrols attended nearly a quarter (23%) more breakdowns where potholes were likely to blame in the last three months of 2022 compared to the previous three months, show new RAC figures released to mark today’s National Pothole Day. The motoring services company’s roadside staff went out to an average of 20 breakdowns a day between October and the end of the year – a total of more than 1,800 – … [Read more...]