Pesky Potholes

Potholes on the roads can not only cause unnecessary and costly damage to your vehicle, but also to our bodies.  Injury claims due to accidents involving potholes are on the rise, despite funding last year to reduce the number on our roads.

In March 2014, the Government announced in their budget a national fund of £200 million to enable local authorities to repair potholes in the roads caused by the flooding the country experienced in early 2014.  “Of this £200 million Hampshire saw one of the highest amounts of funding and received just over £17.5 million,” Deborah Foundling, Personal Injury Lawyer, explains.  “£11.5 million was designated to repair lengths of carriageway and bridges, and just over £6 million was to repair and prevent potholes.  In January 2015 there was an update stating that over 57,000 potholes have been repaired and the next report is due out any day now as to how many more have been fixed.”

According to Potholes.co.uk, 1 in 10 mechanical failures in the UK are caused by potholes, and this is costing motorists an estimated £730 million every year.  “It is not only the financial cost to consider, but also the physical and emotional cost,” continues Deborah.  “I’ve seen a number of incidents of this nature, from cars swerving to avoid potholes and colliding with other vehicles on the road, to cyclists being put in harms way trying to avoid them.  A number of these incidents have resulted in serious injuries meaning a period of time away from work, counselling, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and in this situation it may be possible to bring a claim for compensation against the local authority.” 

Certain evidence that must be obtained in order to bring a successful claim.  Deborah explains “there must be proof that the road is in a poor state of disrepair and as such is dangerous to motorists and pedestrians. The local authority will have a statutory defence if they can show that they have a reasonable system of inspecting the roads and repairing the defects within a reasonable time frame. The local authority will disclose their maintenance and inspection records which will help to establish whether or not there is sufficient evidence in support of a claim”.

If you’re been injured on the roads whether as a motorist, pedestrian or a cyclist, contact Deborah or the Personal Injury team on 0800 91 92 30 or visit the their section of the website here.

ENDS

This is for information purposes only and is no substitute for, and should not be interpreted as, legal advice.  All content was correct at the time of publishing and we cannot be held responsible for any changes that may invalidate this article.