Potholes are a major nuisance for all motorists, but tend to cause bikers the biggest problem, with many accident consultants claiming that bad roads can lead to serious or even fatal accidents. Some potholes can even lead to motorcycles being flipped over, causing major damage both to the bike and the rider.
For the government, fixing the ever-growing amount of potholes is no small task. Recent research conducted by Parliament has estimated a total cost of £13billion is needed to repair every pothole in the UK. This problem has also become more complicated recently as councils are debating on what to define as a pothole. Lambeth Council in South London, has recently stated that any pothole under the depth of 1.57 inches will no longer be repaired, when previously the depth had to be more than 0.96 inches in order for it to be repaired. This trend is likely to be followed now by many councils across the UK.
This is not good news for all motorists who already have to fork out over £1billion collectively in repair bills for damages caused by potholes.
Obviously this is becoming a problem that does not look like subsiding any time soon. Potholes.co.uk claims that even if all councils were given the right amount of funding to fix every damaged road, it could take up to 11 years to catch up in England and 16 years for Wales.
The only advice currently available to bikers is simply to slow down and keep your eyes open on the roads, but this is easier said than done, especially when considering bad weather conditions or poor lighting.
On the forums, the advice on how to tackle a pothole if you can’t avoid it is to slow down as much as possible, releasing the brake just before you enter the pothole. Then stand up slightly with your knees bent on the pegs so the legs to act as a shock absorber. This should also relieve the pressure on the bike when it hits the pothole. After the initial collision with the pothole accelerate slightly and smoothly to avoid swerving.
This information however is only advice from other motorcyclists’ on the forums and doesn’t guarantee an injury or damage free method of hitting a pothole.
Only time will tell how Britain’s pothole crises will pan out, but for now it’s not looking good.
If you are considering making a claim after a pothole motorcycle accident, ensure you gather the evidence of the pothole and make an accurate report of the accident before you make claim.
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