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Three quarters of UK drivers think British roads are dangerous!
Exclusive research by Citroën finds that 73% of UK drivers believe the current state of British roads means they are a danger to those using them.
Between 2017 and 2021, police forces in England and Wales recorded 1,114 accidents resulting in injury due to a ‘defective road surface’, with 355 people seriously injured or 16 killed.††
42% of drivers surveyed said they were unaware they could make a claim from the relevant local authority for damage caused to their vehicle by a pothole.
46% of drivers avoid certain roads due to the risk of pothole damage.
Previous study by Citroën UK found that the amount spent on compensation in the last year could have filled an additional 340,000 potholes!*
Exclusive research by Citroën UK has found that almost 75% of UK drivers think the state of the country’s roads is a danger to motorists and other road users.†
In Citroën UK’s latest survey – conducted with OnePoll – 75% of respondents said that damage sustained to their car by a pothole had required repairs to their vehicle. However, drivers are still in the dark about how best to seek support after enduring pothole damage to their vehicle, as approaching half of those affected (42%) told Citroën they were unaware that they could have claimed compensation from the relevant local authority. Of those surveyed, only 14% said they had claimed compensation from their local authority after previous incidents.
The latest research follows findings from Citroën in May, which identified that the total cost of compensation claims paid out last year, because of pothole damage, totalled £22.7m – equivalent to the average cost of filling 340,000 potholes.
Citroën UK compared Asphalt Industry Alliance figures over the last six years and found that, since 2017, a total of £139.9m had been spent on damage compensation, which could have filled an additional 2.3m potholes**.
In the new study, Citroën asked drivers how they felt the condition of UK roads had changed over the past six years. Unsurprisingly, 68% of respondents said that they felt the roads in the UK had become worse – and only 15% said they felt the condition of the UK’s roads had improved since 2017. Almost half of all drivers (46%) told Citroën that there are roads they avoid completely due to the fear and risk of damage.
The East Midlands was found to be the region where drivers felt most concerned about the state of the roads, with 56% of respondents saying the roads in their area have got worse. This can be compared to London – the area that reflects the least decline in road conditions – with only 18% of drivers reporting that their local roads had deteriorated.
Greg Taylor, Managing Director of Citroën UK, said: “The people of the UK are clearly concerned about the state of our roads. The Citroën Advanced Comfort Programme mitigates the discomfort of driving on broken road surfaces, and limits the shock and impact of hitting a pothole for drivers, but it is clear that more work needs to be done to improve surfaces across the country, and to restore public confidence.”
Many Citroën models – such as New C5 X – benefit from the brand’s Advanced Comfort® Programme, with enhanced suspension and supportive seating for a smoother ride. All versions of New C5 X feature Citroën’s Progressive Hydraulic Cushion® technology, which integrates hydraulic bump stops into the suspension system to better control compression and rebound on damaged surfaces.
Inside, New C5 X comes as standard with Advanced Comfort® seats. With broad cushions and seat backs, they combine high-density foam at the heart of each seat, and a thick 15mm layer of extra textured foam on the surface, to keep occupants comfortable and relaxed when navigating Britain’s challenging road network.
† OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK drivers, June 2023.
* Based on total compensation costs of £22.7m and average cost of repairing each pothole of £66.93; Asphalt Industry Alliance Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) report 2023.
** Total spending on payments to road users and staffing costs since 2017 (total of £139.9m) at an average cost of £58.94 per pothole.
