[Moth]

Cars could soon report motorway potholes for repair and drones could be used to relay vital traffic information, under plans unveiled today in a new Government report.

The Highways Agency's Strategic Road Network report sets out a raft of recommendations for Britain's roads, including the continued expansion of the UK's 'smart' motorway network, turning a number of A roads into motorway-like 'expressways', and using connected vehicles and drones to report road and traffic issues respectively.

The Highways Agency says connected and autonomous vehicles are "Widely seen as one of the most significant and potentially disruptive changes in future personal mobility" and that in the future they could "report potholes, uploading data on the location and severity of the pothole, which is then shared with the local maintainers and even other connected vehicles, to help them avoid it."

Can't see it happening but you can read about it here: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/102056/cars-could-report-potholes-under-government-plans

 

[colinJYD]

Biggest problem with potholes is trying to get the councils insurance to admit liability.

I had this problem on my Honda Civic a decade back, that hit a 'submerged with rainwater' pothole, and I informed my car insurance that I was going after the council for compensation (£700 to repair suspension, new steering rack and a tyre and alloy wheel).

Now note that contacting you car insurance is a good tip, even though you do not expect to use them.

OK, so a year later even with photographs and a repair bill (that I paid for), I was still arguing with the council, and it ended up a case of you sue us, which would have been far too costly, and they knew it.

I then had to contact my car insurance and they paid me the money back, but only because I had informed them a year earlier.

I still lost money due to my No Claims bonus (NCB) getting downgraded from 60% to 40% for the next two years as i had made a claim. So now I always have NCB protection. Costs a little more but worth it.