One in five cars written off after suffering pothole damage
22nd Nov, 2024
You don’t need to be a keen driver to know that pothole damage is a major issue in the UK. There are well over a million potholes in Britain today, and surveys have shown that it’s one of the top concerns of UK drivers, right up there along with fluctuating fuel prices. What’s more, now data from one top insurer has shown that a fifth of claims involving potholes have actually led the car involved to be written off entirely!
So, you may be wondering, do I need to worry about a pothole causing me to scrap my car?
What does the data say?
This past year, German insurer Allianz has paid out more than £4.6 million for 1266 pothole claims. 225 of those vehicles were judged to be “beyond economical repair” – in other words, written off. The average loss claim cost an eye-watering £8000. Again, we think it’s worth reiterating that this is not being caused by multiple pile-ups – these are potholes.
Other organisations are also taking note of the sheer impact of the issue – the AA dealt with 631,852 pothole related incidents in 2023, notably the highest number it’s seen in the past five years. It’s not just insurers and individual drivers who have to pay the price, either; it impacts the entire UK economy. In fact, the total annual cost of potholes amounts to something close to £14.4 billion a year!
So, what can you do about it?
Our top tips to minimise the risk of pothole damage
The unfortunate truth is that there’s only so much you can do about potholes – ultimately, it’s down to the local authority to manage the state of the roads. However, there are a couple of things it’s worth bearing in mind – some of which can sometimes make all the difference!
Slow down and be prepared
There’s no gentle way to say this, really – the first line of defence against potholes is simply reducing your speed. When temperatures drop, frost and ice can cause roads to crack, making potholes more likely to appear. Driving at a slower speed means you’ll have more time to spot any potential hazards, and you’ll reduce the impact if you do hit one.
Keep a safe distance and watch for potholes in vulnerable areas
Winter is especially tough on certain types of roads, so it’s essential to keep an eye out for potholes, especially in vulnerable areas. High-traffic roads, rural routes, and older urban streets are most prone to developing potholes as the combination of heavy traffic and freeze-thaw conditions takes a toll on the surface. Roads that are often flooded or have poor drainage can also hide potholes beneath standing water or snow, making them harder to spot.
Again, maintaining a safe distance from the car in front will give you more time to react to sudden road conditions, whether that’s swerving around a pothole or slowing down to avoid one.
Regularly check your tyres and suspension
Winter driving can put extra strain on your car, so it’s crucial to make sure your tyres and suspension are in top condition. Properly inflated tyres help you maintain control in icy conditions, as well as making your car more resilient to the shock of hitting a pothole. A well-maintained suspension system helps absorb impact and reduces the risk of damage to your car’s alignment or suspension components.
Those are just a couple of our key recommendations! And of course, if you ever do fall afoul of a pothole, and you decide that it’s not worth the cost of repairing the damage, rest assured that at the very least, we’ll be here to ensure that you get maximum cash for your car right here at Scrap Car Network. We’ve got more than 40 years of experience behind us, helping our customers get the very best deals for their cars – and it couldn’t be simpler to get started.
All you need to do is enter your car reg and postcode into the fields on our site, and we’ll get you an instant online quote before you can say cash for cars. It only takes a few seconds. So then – curious to find out how much your car is worth?
