Overshadowed UK road safety issue highlighted in wake of new government plan
One problem area of UK road safety has become “progressively worse” in recent years.
The past five years have seen a deterioration in the condition of vital road markings in the UK, the RAC says.
The major issue in recent years when it comes to road conditions has, understandably been potholes, for which a new solution has recently been suggested.
However, the problem of fading road markings is similarly important. A faded road marking won’t break your suspension or cause you to crash on its own, but it could lead to driver or rider error, which can also be significantly dangerous, of course.
Research from the RAC has found that 21 per cent of UK road users say that “most” of the road markings in their local area have faded away, and that 71 per cent think “some” of the markings have disappeared. Additionally, 72 per cent of people think the problem has got worse in the last five years and 92 per cent of people think it has made driving on the UK’s roads more dangerous.
Directional arrows at junctions and roundabouts, ‘give way’ markings, yellow box lines, stop lines, and on-road painted speed limit markings are among the markings that are fading.
As a result of the missing lines, 63 per cent of people say they have to guess what lane they need to be in and 38 per cent say they end up getting in the wrong lane.
Most concerningly, perhaps, 16 per cent of people say they have had a near-miss as a result of missing markings, and 13 per cent have overshot junctions as a result of missing stop lines or ‘give way’ signs.
“Drivers are widely reporting that road markings have been left to fade into obscurity, making roads less safe as a result,” said the RAC’s head of policy Simon Williams.
“The problem appears to have got progressively worse as a majority of drivers say the visibility of markings has deteriorated in the last five years.
“And, while all painted lines are important to ensure drivers do the right thing, the fact some, such as those dividing lanes and even stop lines are disappearing, is troubling.”
Williams added that the UK government’s new road safety plan, which includes consultations on changing motorcycle licensing, should not neglect the issue of road markings.
“While the government has just published the country’s first road safety strategy in more than a decade, this is one key area that shouldn’t be forgotten,” he said.
“We urge them to work with councils to rectify this situation, as markings are painted onto the road for good reason: to keep drivers and other road users safe by clearly informing them of what they should and shouldn’t be doing.
“It’s frightening to think almost one-in-five of drivers have had a near-miss as a result of faded road markings and more than one-in-10 have overshot a junction.
“Leaving these most vital markings to just wear away makes no sense whatsoever. While there’s clearly a cost to maintaining them, the cost of letting them disappear doesn’t bear thinking about.”
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