How West Sussex's pothole conundrum could reduce accidents

There has been a constant increase of potholes on the roads throughout the last couple of years, with more people speaking out about how it has impacted their journeys.

However, Mac’s Trucks have researched how potholes can be a safety feature for vehicles, seeing a surprising correlation between the decrease of HGV accidents, the increase of HGV vehicles and the uptick in pothole cases.

Key Findings:

🛞 Number of potholes in the United Kingdom on the rise with more than 500,000 reported from 81 councils in the 2021/22 financial year, according to Liberal Democrats FOI.

🛞 Recent GOV.UK data shows there were over 511,000 HGV vehicles licensed last year, up from 420,900 in 1994. However, in a study around HGV collisions, the data showed there were 3,549 accidents in 2022.

🛞 Recent GOV.UK data indicates a significant drop in speed-related accidents, with 2,572 incidents reported compared to 5,571 incidents five years ago.

🛞 Total loss gap data reveals that out of the 40,000,000 tires fitted on vehicles annually, approximately 30,000,000 are replacements.

🛞 RAC data showing a 50% drop in reported pothole breakdowns since 2010, suggesting an overall improvement in road conditions.

🛞 Decrease in personal injury collisions - data indicates that in 2021, 3,549 HGV drivers sustained vital injuries, a figure more than five times lower than the recorded figure in 1979.

🛞 West Sussex are 7th on the list for the highest amount of potholes and 8th on the list for the longest time to fix potholes, which could mean West Sussex has a lower occurrence of accidents due to the abundance of potholes and the longer time to fix them.

List of other key safety features and their impact

Seatbelts – Since becoming a requirement in 1983, an estimated 50,000,000 lives have been saved, as reported by WeBuyAnyCar.

Emergency brake systems – These can detect stationary vehicles and issuing warnings. This led to a significant reduction of over 15% in HGV accidents the following year, according to the AA.

Comment

Craig Hoodless is a notable truck driver from Carlisle, who has 5 thousand followers on social media.

“Overtaking isn't the issue, it’s the drivers behind the wheel that cause these accidents.

“By displaying reckless behaviour while overtaking, like tailgating, can endanger the safety of everyone on the road.

“Despite truck drivers like myself having to stick to a 56mph speed limit, it’s crucial for all drivers to prioritise responsible driving practices to limit accidents on our roads.”

Conclusion

The unexpected positive impact of potholes on reducing speeds and promoting safer driving conditions for trucks cannot be overlooked.

However, it's important to remember that while potholes can inadvertently contribute to safer driving conditions, it remains crucial to prioritise the maintenance of truck regulations to ensure the overall well-being of all road users.

We invite you to share your thoughts, experiences, and insights on the unusual positivity of potholes in today's discussion!

Amount of potholes recorded:

Full table and data: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/road-safety/report-a-pothole/#how-bad-are-potholes-the-rac-pothole-index

Areas with worst average times to fix a pothole:

Full table and data: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/road-safety/report-a-pothole/#how-bad-are-potholes-the-rac-pothole-index

Methodology

We used figures from the GOV.UK that revealed multiple road statistic data throughout the years.

Firstly, we found the recent figures about the amount of HGV’s in the UK in the ‘Vehicles at the end of the quarter by licence status and body type: Britain and United Kingdom’ section and recognised an increase over time.

We then compared that to the amount of HGV collisions, that was found on the ‘Casualties and casualty, by road user type and age group, since 1979’ section, and it went down over the same amount of time. We worked this out by looking at the number of vehicles from every quarter of the year and found an average amount of all of those.

Also, the Liberal Democrats FOI shown the amount of potholes that were reported from 81 councils in the UK. This shows the rise of potholes compared to 5 years before.

We then looked at the safety feature information from sites like AA and WeBuyAnyCar and compared that to the HGV collisions to see any significant drops in accidents that could be due to the implementation of the feature.

Then found GOV.UK’s data about how speed related deaths have reduced by looking in the ‘Vehicles involved in reported accidents where exceeding the speed limit was reported as a contributory factor by vehicle type and severity of accident’ section. Also, link to how potholes make people slow down due to tyre changes, where Total Loss Gap reveals most tyres fitted are replacement ones.

From the RAC data, we have worked out the massive drop in tyre changes caused by potholes by looking at the graph’s peak (2010) and the recent data. We recognised that there has been a near 50% decrease because it was at 350% in 2010 compared to a 171% in recent times.

We found out common hotspots for potholes across the UK, using data from the RAC and the AA in found these highlighted areas.

Please contact [email protected] for any questions relating to the data.

About: Mac's Trucks are a convenient service for transporting heavy-duty trucks without the hassle. Their vehicles are sourced from reliable manufacturers, ensuring durability and quality. With a range of models to choose from like tippers, beavertails and curtainsiders, we provide options tailored to meet specific transportation needs in various industries.