Pothole damage to Britain’s roads could cost £10 billion and take more than a decade to fix, according to Bridgestone.
The tire manufacturer has reported a 10-fold increase in the number of tires damaged due to potholes from September 2009 to March this year, compared with the same period 12 months ago.
Bridgestone’s statement follows the worst U.K. winter weather in 30 years, with heavy snow and ice bringing most of the country to a standstill. The constant freeze-thaw cycle has caused potholes to spring up everywhere. A perfect combination of ice and snow, heavy traffic and already poor road conditions leaves us with a slowly eroding road surface and great big holes everywhere.
According to the company, Bridgestone has been “inundated” with incidents of motorists pulling in to their dealerships across the country because of cuts and tears to their tires and wheel misalignment. One in 12 tires that have needed replacing in Bridgestone dealerships over the winter have been due to pothole damage.
Andy Dingley, senior analyst at Bridgestone, says: “We have definitely seen an increase in motorists coming into our customers dealerships to replace their tires as a result of pothole damage. Whilst potholes cannot always be avoided, we urge drivers to be aware of them – if you have to drive over them, do it with caution and do it slowly.”
With the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) estimating that the average pothole costs £70 to repair and road damage found every 120 yards, this will take 15 years to repair and cost local authorities £10-billion to fix Britain’s pothole problem. This could have severe implications on our tires and lead to motorists forking out on replacement tires if the problem isn’t dealt with soon.
However, the risk of tire damage from a pothole can be reduced if they are looked after and well maintained, as Dingley explains: “One way to minimize damage from potholes is to ensure they are correctly inflated to begin with. Under- or over-inflation of your tires can cause even greater structural damage to the tire if the car comes into contact with a pothole.” (Tyres & Accessories)
