Half of drivers say the state of local roads is their top motoring concern – a record high since the RAC began asking for motorists' views on road conditions.
The organisation’s annual Report on Motoring also revealed that two-thirds of drivers (67%) believe the condition of their local roads has deteriorated in the past year, up from 60% in the 2022 report.
Almost all motorists (97%) said road surfaces were to blame, but faded road markings, litter and poor signage visibility were also cited as contributing to the decline.
More than a third of drivers reported having to swerve quickly to avoid a pothole.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said councils needed funding certainty to plan maintenance programmes in order to resurface roads that are beyond the point where they can be ‘patched up’.
Local government association transport spokesperson Darren Rodwell said the Government should bring councils ‘on a par with National Highways’ and award local authority highways departments five-yearly funding allocations.
Cllr Rodwell added: ‘In the upcoming Autumn Statement, we look forward to seeing more details on the recent £8.3 billion funding plan for roads maintenance.’
If this article was of interest, then check out our feature, 'The great pothole repair failure'.
