Given our recent bout of cold and wintery weather, potholes have been springing up all over the place. When water seeps in to cracks in the surface it can freeze, expand, and break up the concrete and create a cater of chaos that poses a significant tripping / falling hazard as well as a serious danger to motorists.
They have hit the news again in recent days as the cost of claims last year has been revealed – and we may be set to see some new technology to help prevent pothole dangers in the future.
According to sources from the BBC, claims totalled more than £3m in Britain last year, with the average payout being £286. These figures have come from a freedom of information request from the RAC, and the stats show that the average payout is down from previous years.
Less than a quarter of claims led to a payout, which is normal in pothole cases against the local authorities. They are extremely hard to win because the law generally says that the council only has to uphold a reasonable system of inspection and maintenance. As long as they do this, they can use a special defence to the claim.
There are also stipulations on making sure that repair work is carried out immediately were a defect is reported as well.
According to the report Prof Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, has said: “Hard-pressed road users and businesses are justifiably sick and tired of having their vehicles damaged because of Britain’s pothole crisis.”
He went on to say that “councils do their best to deter claimants coming forward.”
In a separate news story from the BBC, academics at Nottingham Trent University have developed a smart scanner vehicle that can tell of sites were possible potholes are going to form. Apparently there are scanners on the van that identify cracks that could then lead to potholes in the future
The report says that 900 potential sites were identified in test conditions and less than a second to process the data.
Maybe this could pave the way for more pothole free pavements and roads in the future!
