00:00 "It's always been something that everyone's aware of, potholes are a bugbear of every
00:05 UK motorist and it's quite apparent that that problem seems to be getting worse and worse.
00:11 So punctures, buckling of wheels down to causing more serious issues like the bending of the
00:22 axle and the tracking can be put out which costs a lot of money."
00:26 But it's not just the damage to cars caused by hitting a spot of road damage direct that
00:31 can cause issues for UK motorists. Potholes can also affect the way in which we drive,
00:36 causing road traffic accidents too.
00:37 "It also can have adverse effects on driving styles because if people are aware of potholes
00:43 and they're trying to protect their vehicles from being damaged, your peripheral vision
00:48 can be reduced quite substantially. So instead of looking at all the hazards that are in
00:53 front of you, your eyes are more focused on the road in front of you which means you're
00:57 more susceptible to an accident really."
01:00 So it can be anything from punctures to wheel damage to alloy damage, in the worst cases
01:06 even steering or suspension. And we've actually found over the last year it's the worst for
01:13 at least five years with something like 637,000 call-outs which is just an astonishing number
01:23 in financial terms. We actually estimate it's costing UK drivers almost half a billion pounds
01:32 a year to get their cars fixed as a result of potholes. So it really is a major, major
01:39 problem out there at the moment.
01:41 And just why is the problem worsening in recent months and years?
01:46 What we've found is that there's quite a direct correlation with the state of the roads and
01:52 the weather. So on days when it rains and rains heavily, we get more pothole-related
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