Almost half a million cars have broken down after hitting a pothole in the first nine months of 2024, with more than 50,000 incidents in September alone highlighting the UK’s worsening pothole crisis.
The AA’s Pothole Index shows that between January and September 2024, it dealt with as many as 479,656 incidents in which a vehicle was damaged or broke down after encountering a pothole. This is roughly 10,000 more compared with the same period in 2023, suggesting that 2024 could be en route to surpassing last year’s total number of callouts, which stood at 631,852 – itself a five-year high.
After weeks of heavy rain and flooding, the experts at the AA say potholes are being disguised as they fill with water, leading to tyre, wheel, steering and suspension damage. Even more vulnerable are cyclists, with the AA claiming as many as 118 have been killed over the past four years due to potholes.
Read Article