Richard Yarrow’s opinion for www.startrescue.co.uk, providing low cost Breakdown Cover.
TV news coverage of the current cold weather has shown us all the usual angles. We’ve seen drivers stranded at the side of the road and needing their car breakdown cover. We’ve had stories about ‘frosting’, the insurance industry’s name for the theft off vehicles which have been left unattended while they’re warming up. But what we’ve yet to get is reports on potholes.
Maybe we’re all still too concerned about the actual weather right now, or maybe the snow hasn’t melted enough yet to reveal the cracks in our road. I thought we might have had some ‘Britain’s crumbling road network’ headlines but I’ve seen nothing yet.
Because it will probably happen sooner or later, it’s worth recapping on just how bad this got in January and February.
The repeated overnight freezing and daytime thawing literally tore the tarmac apart. Motorways, A and B-roads, residential streets – all were affected.
The analysis from experts was that cash-strapped councils faced spending money to fix the roads, or risked having to cough up even more in compensation for punctures, buckled wheels and suspension damage. We will undoubtedly get the same views again.
The roads industry estimated it would cost £10billion to put it all right, and the Government earmarked emergency cash – though nothing like that much – to help drivers out. It will be interesting to see whether there’s still money in the coffers to do the same again this winter.
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