Pot Holes Threaten Classics

The poor state of Britain’sroads, dual carriageways and motorways are putting more classics at risk than ever before.

Potholes, according to the RAC, are buckling wheels, blowing shock absorbers and breaking suspension springs at an alarming rate. Having compared the data for the last quarter of 2016 and 2017, it logged 11 per cent more call-outs to customers than it did in the previous year.

Worryingly, the total number of RAC ‘pothole’ faults in all four quarters of 2017 exceeded the equivalent periods for the previous 12 months. October to December of last year also saw the highest-ever proportion of fourth-quarter RAC breakdowns where poor quality road surfaces were likely be a factor, with 1.2 per cent of all breakdowns associated with such faults – up from 0.8 per cent in 2015 and 1 per cent in 2016. Previously, the highest proportion of fourth-quarter RAC ‘pothole’ breakdowns stood at 1.1 per cent in 2013.

Rainfall, frost and snow damage, all heavier in 2017 than in 2016, played a part – as did local authority budgets. The RAC believes the condition of many roads is hanging in the balance with the potential for a further sharp rise in the number of potholes by the spring, if the weather is particularly wet or cold over the next few months.