Carson Says Motorists are Getting a Raw Deal on Pothole Claims

Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson has once again highlighted the lack of successful pothole claims across the region in recent years.

Mr Carson who recently revealed the lack of successful claims on the A75 and A77 has received a full response to a Freedom of Information Request from Dumfries and Galloway Council about how many claims by motorists were paid out and how long insurers took to process claims.

In recent years, the vast majority of claims have been unsuccessful with 278 claims out of 401 rejected in 2014 and 197 out of 267 claims turned down in 2016.

With 49 claims from 2017 still open, 89 claims out of 169 have been unsuccessful for motorists in the region so far.

The average length of time from last year stands at 126 days, which is a fall from the 160 days in 2016, with the highest average time taken by insurers to close a claim standing at 203 days in 2013.

Mr Carson says that the state of the roads in his constituency continue to deteriorate and that drivers are being punished for a lack of investment and proper repairs over the last number of years.

Commenting Finlay Carson MSP said: “These figures show that motorists are getting a completely raw deal when it comes to pothole claims across the region, due to the sub-standard condition of our roads in Dumfries and Galloway.

“Through no fault of their own it appears there is a culture that is punishing motorists when they have suffered damage to their vehicles through potholes, with the number of rejected claims vastly outstripping those who have been successful.

“While I accept that it is down to insurers as to how long claims take to process, it is taking far too long for motorists to find out if they are going to receive any compensation, with claims still open as far back as 2015 in a small number of cases.

“We are seeing that it can take up to over six months on average to process claims which is far too long for motorists who have had to shell out for repairs.

“We need to see urgent investment in our roads from the council to bring them up to standard so we can see the number of claims made significantly come down and motorists not consistently telling me about the damage they have suffered.”