Cities across the United States are declaring a war on potholes after a brutal winter storm season. The East Coast and Midwest were battered by heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures for weeks in early 2026, leaving behind tens of thousands of potholes. As of late March, New York saw a 119 percent increase in pothole complaints to the city’s 311 system compared to the same period in 2025, the largest year-over-year increase ever. In Connecticut, drivers reported more potholes on state roads in the first two weeks of March than in all of March 2025. In the UK, England received 42% more rain than usual between December and February 2025-2026, with Cornwall, Leicestershire and the West Midlands experiencing their wettest winter since comparable records began in 1836. The daily average number of pothole reports from broken-down drivers was three-and-a-half times higher in February 2026 than a year ago. The RAC said 6,290 of its members mentioned potholes when logging breakdowns in February 2026, compared with 1,842 in February 2025.
Local governments on both sides of the Atlantic are mobilizing repair efforts amid the crisis. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott wants to fill 25,000 potholes in the next 90 days, after the city tackled 134,000 potholes last year. Road salt worsens the pothole problem by lowering the freezing temperature of water, which seeps into pavement and helps develop potholes. In February, Sumpter Township in the Detroit metro area declared a public safety emergency over the state of its gravel roads. In the UK, the Department for Transport is providing councils with a record £7.3 billion over the next four years to help tackle potholes. Two groups are broadly responsible for the nation's roads: National Highways manages 4,500 miles of motorways and A-roads, while 154 local authorities in England oversee 183,000 miles of roads. The annual report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance last year found that one in six miles of the local road network had less than five years of structural life remaining. It is estimated that repairing all pothole-ridden roads across the UK would cost £17 billion and take over a decade.
Vehicle damage and insurance claims related to potholes have surged dramatically. Common vehicle problems caused by potholes include distorted wheels, damaged shock absorbers and broken suspension springs. A repair bill for a car suffering pothole damage more serious than a puncture can reach £590. Tesco Insurance said the number of pothole claims it settled in January 2026 alone was slightly more than half of its total for the whole of 2025. Motorists in Peterborough have made the most pothole insurance claims since 2020, followed by Northampton and Tonbridge. The AA had 613,638 pothole-related callouts last year, an average of 1,681 a day, and 58,380 callouts in January 2026. The AA revealed that fixing potholes is the top transport demand for 96% of its members.
Emergency services and volunteer organizations are facing significant challenges due to deteriorating road conditions. Volunteer riders at regional charities such as Severn Freewheelers are battling dangerous roads during nighttime distributions of emergency medical supplies. Five of Severn Freewheelers' bikes had each sustained £1,000 of damage since January 2026, compared to one or two across a typical year.
A growing trend of SUV purchases is being linked to concerns about road conditions. SUVs made up more than half of the 2 million new cars sold in the UK last year. Recent polling showed almost one in eight drivers in parts of the UK, including London and Yorkshire, had chosen to buy an SUV or heavier car partly due to concerns about road conditions. According to Opinium research, 6% of drivers nationwide said they had been influenced to buy or bought an SUV primarily because of the condition of roads. The typical SUV exerts around five times more force on the road than the typical passenger car. SUVs were 3% of cars on the road in England 20 years ago and are now over 30%. SUVs are typically 200-300kg heavier than hatchback or sedan cars.
Key unknowns remain about long-term solutions and broader impacts. It is unclear what specific measures, beyond funding, are being implemented by UK councils to improve drainage and prevent potholes long-term. The extent of funding gaps is also uncertain, as it is unknown how much of the estimated £17 billion repair cost for UK roads is currently funded and what the timeline is for addressing the backlog.