Latest figures from the RAC Foundation have revealed that Scottish Councils paid over £220,000 last year in pothole compensation claims, with councils across the UK paying out £3 million overall.
Potholes are one of the main reasons for damage to cars and accidents on the road occurring, with claims due to injuries and damage to vehicles costing each council in Scotland on average £600 a day.
The figures, which come from a Freedom of Information request, showed that the value of an average compensation claim was over £280. The statistics also revealed that there were over 2,500 more claims relating to damage and accidents as a result of potholes this year than in the previous 12 month period.
Glasgow Top in Scotland
Glasgow had the most amount of claims in Scotland, with rural Dumfries and Galloway being the second most likely area for a pothole compensation claim to be made with a rise of over 300 claims in a year. .
In total Scotland saw 4,511 claims, with 1,126 of them proving to be successful.
“Tip of the Iceberg”
Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said that the figures were likely to be “the tip of the iceberg”.
In a statement he said: “Many drivers will be put off by the time involved in claiming and many councils do their best to deter claimants coming forward. The fundamental problem lies with central government. They are simply not giving councils enough money to keep their road networks up to scratch.”
Tackling The Problem
Despite having the second highest number of claims in Scotland Councillor Colin Wyper believes that the council is dealing with the problem and getting closer to fix the issue. He said: “I think the council is beginning to win the battle.”
He added: “It took them a long time to get anything done but in the last six months I’ve noticed a lot of repairs being done.”
A council spokesman said: “It’s important to note that Dumfries and Galloway has the third longest roads network in Scotland, with 4,151km of roads to maintain. That is almost five times that of Renfrewshire and 2.3 times that of Glasgow.
“A service-wide review of road maintenance operations started in 2012 to change our working methods for carriageway repairs to a first time permanent basis wherever possible.
“This new approach, combined with investment in training, plant and equipment and significant capital investment in road surfacing has resulted in better repairs and a reduction in the number of defects on our roads.
Premiums Down
The move comes despite car insurance premiums falling due to a crackdown on personal injury claims and fraudulent whiplash claims. Research from the AA found that as a result of the clampdown, on average premiums fell by 10%.
Contact Us
If you have been injured in a road accident as a result of potholes, or as a victim of someone’s negligence, you may be able to make a personal injury claim. Contact us today to get your claim underway using our online enquiry form.