Cost of Road Claims Tops £3.5 Million

Following an Assembly question posed by SDLP MLA John Dallat,  the Department of Regional Development revealed that, within the past five years it has paid out more than £3.5m in compensation because of defective roads and footpaths. The total represents both claims for Personal Injuries and those for damage to vehicles. It does not, however, include any amount for the 492 claims which remain pending against the DRD.

A spokesperson for the department said safety was its top priority and it had repaired some 200,000 defects during the last year. However, despite this the number of claims made continues to rise steadily. In the past five years the figure has risen from just over 1,000 claims annually to over 1,800.

Mr. Dallat, whose Assembly question raised the issue said "We're not talking about a pothole here and a pothole there. My understanding is that a lot of these claims are coming out because of roads with major deficiencies causing significant damage to expensive cars". Mr. Dallat went on to cite the lack of investment in road maintenance  in the Province, which he said was a "false economy."

"The vast majority of these claims are a result of massive cutbacks in the roads budget," he added. "The folly of it is that while the department is saving money from the cuts, they are then having to pay out major sums of money to people who are injured or whose cars are damaged as a result of bad roads.  

Mr Dallat went on to highlight his belief that the lack of funds would result in more road deaths, stating "It is logical to presume that bad roads lead to more accidents and that more accidents means more serious injuries and deaths."

A spokesman for the Department said it had recently increased investment in road maintenance. "The three-year budget for the period 2008-11 means that funding for structural maintenance over the next two years will be around £72m. This represents an increase of about 27%, when compared with the initial budget allocation for 2008/9. By carrying out inspections and repairs in accordance with our maintenance standards, we are able to ensure that the department is in a good position to defend any compensation claims that may be lodged against it."