IAM: Put potholes and road safety at top of agenda

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has called on the next government to make road safety and the tackling of potholes a top priority.

The IAM carried out a survey of 2,156 people in March 2015 and the number one gripe amongst those who answered the poll said reducing the number of potholes should be the government’s number one action point, with 70% of respondents voting for this.

With the backlog of repairs now topping £12 billion according to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) ALARM survey the organisation stated funding a long-term action plan must be an early priority for any new government.

The AIA also said at the end of March that money spent on filling 2.7 million potholes in the past year had been “wasted.”

The next biggest concern for road users was that of general road maintenance, with more than 64% of those surveyed stating this needed more attention.

Third in the list was reducing the number of road accidents and casualties for all age groups, with 52% of respondents saying it should be a greater government concern. According to the Department for Transport the number of those killed or seriously injured on UK roads has increased by four per cent as of September 2014 in comparison to 2013.

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: “No government can be complacent about these figures and we all need to do more to reduce the numbers killed and injured on our roads.

“Cuts in visible policing and road safety spending have had an impact. While these figures cannot be regarded as a trend, they are a major concern that the new Parliament must address.”