Potholes Causing You Heartbreak?

In my local area, there are some really severe potholes. These are a feature of local roads from the city centre through to the coast which is about 20 minutes drive away. GEM has some excellent advice on staying safe on our marked and bumpy roads:

With the harsh wintry conditions the UK has been experiencing and the heavy snowfall before Christmas, many councils should have already started to prepare for extensive pothole repairs in their local areas. However, due to the huge budget cuts, road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is concerned about the safety of road users as we move into ‘pothole season’, and is warning drivers to take more care on the roads.

David Williams, MBE, Chief Executive of GEM Motoring Assist comments, “Councils are working under severe budget constraints and we believe that priorities may be quite different this year when it comes to dealing with issues such as potholes. It would not come as a surprise if local councils take a lot longer to deal with the problem, so we are encouraging drivers to stay alert and where possible take it upon themselves to report serious potholes”.

David Williams, continues, “We conducted a survey last year that revealed half of UK drivers had experienced a crash or near miss whilst swerving to avoid a pothole; a worrying statistic. Often motorists will not spot a pothole until it is too late and, as our survey showed, either swerve out of the way, which could result in a crash, or drive into it causing damage to their car. Potholes are not simply just a nuisance they are a massive road safety issue and whilst councils need to take swift action in alleviating this nationwide problem, it is also important for motorists to play their part in reporting potholes”.

GEM Motoring Assist has developed their top tips to ensure motorists are as safe as possible during ‘pothole season’.

1. Always be aware of dangerous potholes on your route home and in your area and, if necessary, find an alternative route.

2. Remember to keep your distance from the car in front. Motorists will often break suddenly if they have spotted a pothole too late, so ensure you are far enough away to slow down safely.

3. Make sure you stick to the speed limit and drive even slower than normal on smaller roads and residential streets where potholes may be prevalent. Hitting a pothole at speed will cause much more damage to your vehicle.

4. Never swerve to avoid a pothole; always slow down or stop completely if necessary checking that there are no cars close behind you – drive over it slowly or manoeuvre around it when it is safe to do so.

5. Remember help your local authority and report any dangerous potholes that are causing problems in the area.

For further information on GEM Motoring Assist and more details on how to report potholes visit www.motoringassist.com.