MOTORISTS PLAY 'DODGEMS' TO AVOID POTHOLES
It's little wonder motorists are playing dodgems, given Kwik-Fit's research found that 6.2 million motorists suffered pothole damage to their vehicle in the past year, racking up over £380 million just to repair their wheels and tyres - not to mention the cost of repairing, suspension, exhausts and bodywork.
Other extreme and dangerous manoeuvres undertaken by motorists to avoid potholes include: excessive braking (7%), hitting the kerb (3%) and even mounting the pavement (2%).
David White, customer services director, at Kwik-Fit, commented: 'Potholes are like the mines of the road with motorists doing whatever they can to dodge them. The huge rise in numbers since the winter means that millions of motorists are regularly making dangerous split-second decisions to avoid damaging their cars.'
He continued: 'With motorists having to pay so much attention to 'minesweeping' the road ahead, the worry is they aren't focusing enough on the everyday, expected motoring hazards either.'
Motorists who suspect they may have damaged a tyre, wheel, exhaust or shock absorber as a result of hitting (or avoiding) a pothole can get their car checked over for free at any one of Kwik-Fit's 595 UK centres.
* Research carried out by ICM of over 1000 motorists between 13 - 15 March 2009.
Get quotes for your new car
Compare quotes for a new car using our quick, free and no-obligation service.
Get the best prices for a new car. Stop trawling the web for the best prices for new cars - why waste time searching when you can use NewCarQuote to compare quotes for your new car.
Visit our new cars page for more information.