Damaged streets putting pressure on insurance premiums

Figures released by broker AA Insurance suggest that the number of insurance claims for pothole-related damage to cars has risen sharply.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance said:

“We’re seeing a four-fold increase in the number of claims for pothole damage compared with the same period last year. But with loss of no-claim bonus and insurance excess, it takes serious damage from a pothole ‘strike’ – or the consequences of one – to justify making a claim. So although many pothole incidents cause damage, the cost of repair doesn’t justify a claim.”

The AA recently expressed concern about the increased number of potholes on Britain’s roads following the severe winter, and has campaigned for the Government to provide extra cash for highway authorities to reverse the problem. Pothole damage to cars is usually focussed on the tyres and wheels, steering and suspension.

“The pothole season is with us early this year and is a third worse than last year,” Douglas points out. “It would take a quarry-like pothole to cause the sort of damage that would justify an insurance claim, but there are certainly some ‘A-list’ holes out there. But more commonly, our customers have either tried to avoid a pothole and hit something else, such as a kerb, or hitting a hole has caused them to momentarily lose control and hit another vehicle or object.”