Potholes 'cause dangerous driving'

Britain's pothole problem is not only causing damage to our cars, it could result in far more crashes, one expert has advised.

It has been suggested that motorists drive in a wayward fashion to avoid potholes, which could cause far more collisions with moving and parked vehicles on our streets.

David White, customer services director at Kwik-Fit, claims drivers often brake excessively, mount the kerb and even scale the pavement in an attempt to avoid them.

Mr White says: "Potholes are like the mines of the road with motorists doing whatever they can to dodge them."

He adds millions of motorists habitually make "dangerous split-second decision" to avoid their cars being damaged by the obstacles in the road.

The areas of a car that can be damaged by potholes include wheels, tyres, the suspension, the exhaust and bodywork.

It is estimated that over £1,000,000 worth of damage is caused by potholes every week in the UK, a shocking figure that highlights the poor quality of some of our roads. The main contributors to this cost are broken bumpers, cracked wheels and in some cases, broken axels as the impact of potholes not only break motorists cars, but their banks also.

With so many drivers having their attention diverted to navigating potholes, the expert suggests people behind the wheel do not focus on other motoring hazards.

According to the Department for Transport, failing to look properly is the most frequently reported contributory factor to an accident.

If you do see a pothole in your area then try you're best to avoid it, but make sure you don't obstruct the road or drive dangerously. Report the pothole to your local council and they should be able to sort it out, but it could take a while until they send a team out to cover it.