Road surfaces in the South East are among the worst in England according to new research from The Department for Transport.
The latest survey shows 4.7% of the region’s A roads are classified as ‘red’, higher than any other region. The classification means these roads need urgent repair for potholes, rutting and other unsatisfactory states that could affect road safety and lead to damage of vehicles.
The region also came an unenviable second for having the worst road surfaces for B roads, with 5.1% needing urgent attention.
Only the North West, having the worst state of repair for B roads and coming second to the South East for poor road surfaces for A roads, was shown to have similarly concerning survey results.
The survey, undertaken from 2019-2021, covers nearly 100 local authorities across all regions in England and is based on a local authority assessment of roads, shows it is unclassified – local – roads that presents the greatest concerns across England with 17% of their surfaces in need of immediate attention. These roads are for local users rather than traffic passing through and compromise around 60% of all UK roads.
Greg Wilson, Founder of car insurance comparison site Quotezone.co.uk comments: “The condition of many roads is not just a bugbear for South East motorists, poor road conditions affect driver safety and can increase claims rates which in turn can push insurance premiums up for all drivers in the affected area.
“While incidents like a pothole damaging their car’s suspension should be covered by their insurance, if loose material cracks their windscreen, that won’t always be covered by every car insurance policy. In addition, a driver’s premium may well rise after they claim for damage caused by poorly maintained roads, and their no claims bonus will usually be affected as well.”
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