Pothole pandemic influencing driver voting
Nearly three quarters of drivers say that the pothole pandemic will influence how they vote in UK elections.
May’s Startline Used Car Tracker found that 72% of those surveyed said the state of UK roads make them less likely to keep politicians in power.
Meanwhile, 48% think potholes are a constant source of irritation, 36% agree the state of UK roads is embarrassing and 32% are worried about resulting damage to their car.
The research also found that 28% of motorists believe they pay enough tax to keep our roads in good condition and 23% believe potholes are a good measure of whether politicians can solve other problems.
Investment
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “We asked this question following recent comments from the RAC showing they had been called out to three times the number of pothole-related incidents compared to last year thanks to poor weather.
“Our research shows potholes appear to be one of the ways that a clear majority of people measure the effectiveness of politicians and, if they feel that no progress is being made, are less likely to vote for them in the future.
“The government has allocated quite large sums of money to improving the pothole situation but, with the effects of poor weather seen over this winter on already damaged roads, they are chasing an escalating problem.”
