Potholes in the UK

If you're careful and responsible during your next trip out of town you can avoid most accidents in your car rental, but what about potholes.  These sneaky road hazards can pop up and do some serious damage when you least expect it, and with the coming cooler weather also comes pothole season and travelers by car hire should take heed.

Drivers in the United Kingdom have it rough on the roads.  According to Potholes.co.uk, road maintenance in England and Wales is underfunded by around £1 billion every year.  They are so behind on road maintenance, that even if they had the budget to repair all the potholes it would take more than a decade.  

Whether you're driving your own vehicle or a car rental a run-in with a pothole can be an expensive affair.  You can consider yourself lucky if you get away with only a flat, but potholes are also a major factor in axle and suspension problems.  

So what do you do if a pothole crashes your winter holiday?  Will you have to pay out of pocket or can you hold the road responsible?  Local councils are responsible for maintaining the majority of UK roads.  Potholes.co.uk has a step-by-step guide to making a claim as well as a wealth of other information to assist drivers who've had a rough ride on UK roads.

Check your car rental policies and your car insurance policy to see exactly what damage is covered.