How long do you spend in Roadworks?

Some of our readers will recall our article last year about the time drivers were losing as a result of roadworks in the UK. The bad news, according to research from of our panel of insurers, LV=, is that things aren’t getting any better with British motorists spending 28 hours a year stuck in their cars due to delays caused by roadworks.

According to insurer’s road rescue service – who sourced data from councils via Freedom of Information requests – the gross number of live roadwork projects has remained drastically high, despite ever greater spending by local authorities.

Investment in road maintenance works is up 12% compared to last year, with councils across the UK spending almost £8million each on an average of 4,134 roadworks projects. Despiute this, well over half of drivers feel the quality of roads in their area is actually declining, while more than four in 10 do not think roadworks are completed quickly enough.

The car insurer’s research shows that encountering roadworks adds nearly 17 minutes to the average car journey. With British drivers likely to have 100 journeys per year affected, this means that motorists are being forced to spend an average of 28 extra hours in their cars per year.

And these delays have serious consequences. A third of drivers have been late for work because of roadworks and over a quarter have got lost due to diverted routes. A further 11% have had an argument with a loved one because of roadwork delays, while one in 12 have been late for occasions like weddings and birthdays.

Delays caused due to roadworks are highest in the North West, where drivers polled reported encountering roadworks, on average, 12 times per month (144 times per year), with average delays of nearly 20 minutes. Our very own East Midlands area ranks fifth in the national table with delays average driver experiencing typical delays of 17 minutes 23 seconds on no less than 110 occasions per year!

Make sure that you and your vehicle are covered for this additional time on the road with car insurance and breakdown insurance from P F Spare Insurance Brokers.