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Roddy Graham's blog: 31st May 2013 - Noughts and crosses
Date: 31 May 2013
Black round things have been front of mind recently. One through unfortunate experience each and every day, the other every two weeks.
First, potholes. My perennial pet hate. According to an Autoglass survey, potholes are now the number one issue among drivers, so I'm not alone. It's hardly surprising given the perilous state of our roads.
The insidious rise in potholes is not confined to towns and cities and minor B-roads. Major potholes are going unrepaired on roads and motorways too.
Over 100,000 of Autoglass's customers have had repairs as a direct result of driving over potholes, while 30% of AA members have suffered vehicle damage.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) reports that compensation claims received by local authorities have risen by 45% to 363 per authority in the past 12 months.
The number of compensation claims met in the last year rose by 50%. The average claim paid out was £440 outside London, with the average rising to £1,000 in Wales and £1,500 in London.
In total, local authorities in England and Wales alone paid out an estimated £45.2m in compensation claims, up by half.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, the AIA estimates the cost to councils of bringing our roads up to good condition is now £10.5bn. Currently, councils are filling in over two million potholes a year.
The second round black thing is tyres. During your average Formula One race, rubber seems to last barely ten laps these days - so what message is that putting out about sustainability, on relevance to the motorist?
More importantly, what good is it doing to the reputation of the tyre firms?
