The Dangers of UK Roads | Legal Hints + Tips

[@EpohDerf]

A bitter irony that we have to have roadworthy vehicles but the roads scarcely seem vehicle-worthy!

[@FortyFourTeeth]

Exactly this

[@bikehubjapan]

The roads here are 3rd world country esque! I don't even see the point of having nice tyres when it's not safe to lean the bike over 40°. Negative comment over!

[@patchthesinclair5896]

So right! I have more or less given up road riding, track days and a little bit of road testing.

[@NooBiker]

​@@bikehubjapan yes buddy it's pretty appalling

[@NooBiker]

​@@bikehubjapan yes buddy it's pretty appalling

[@gofres]

I've worked in highways for a council. Our budget to pay compensation for damages due to pot holes was larger than the budget to fix the pot holes. Says it all really!

[@cliveadams7629]

Blimey, where are you? I've never known anyone get money out of a council for damage caused by potholes.

[@SH976]

I work for a local highway authority in the northwest too. The council only spends approx 3% of it’s total annual budget on anything related to highway, that’s including paying wages, not just fixing potholes and other infrastructure on the highway. Over 70% of our annual budget goes towards social related things such as welfare and social care and schools. Council’s with bigger poorer demographics tends to have next no budget for highway maintenance.

[@cliveadams7629]

@flippy5118 They're supposed to here but they try everything to get out of it.

[@chrisktm2010]

I had an accident due to a defect in the road 4” deep drop on repair patch mid bend, 18 months in a hospital multiple broken bones etc. I got lucky as the condition of the road had been previously reported and complained about(only found this out afterwards) plus the contractor who left it in this state apologised in the local newspaper that weekend. They basically admitted they were at fault before they new about my accident.

[@FortyFourTeeth]

Jeeeeeez, 18 months is a hefty stint

[@chrisktm2010]

@@FortyFourTeeth not far off of boothy’s injuries just slightly luckier

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

​@@chrisktm2010how are you doing now? Need them too be criminally and personally responsible. Then road safety would be prioritised.

[@chrisktm2010]

@@Google_Does_Evil_Now they were found responsible and I did very niceley out of it for which I am very lucky. 32 years on and I haven’t stopped riding since but now getting to the point where joints don’t quite move like they should and cold/wet weather riding doesn’t happen anymore. I also have to be careful of how I sit on a bike due to pins/plates cutting blood flow off to legs and when I stop sometimes my one or both legs don’t move can cause some issues but everyone I ride with knows this and we all find it funny when it happens. You just have to live the best life you can and don’t let things stop you from doing what you want to do.

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

@@chrisktm2010 I'm so glad for you that you're doing well and enjoying your life. Nice that you have understanding friends too. Wishing you well.

[@westers1514]

As always, the White Dalton crew are excellent.

[@smokeybarr]

"If they had no idea that rut was in the road, then why shoud they be liable...?" Remarkable that the authorities can use this as an out. I'd like to know how I'd get on pleading ignorance if one of my tyres was below the minimum tread standard. Absolutely love these legal corner segments, Al 👍

[@irisgardener4141]

I've visited rural donkey-and-cart (no joke) Bulgaria and the roads were far better. It was all over the arse end of nowhere and all of them were great. They even have snow for months on end. I'm appalled and embarrassed at the state of our roads.

[@alrightdave6135]

All paid for by the eu.

[@Knakkerman-]

EU money. Many EU members get money to fix things like this

[@phil1898]

It's all quite recent. I moved to the Milton Keynes area 15 years ago. The roads were so smooth it was like driving on glass. Roll on a decade and a half and they're deteriorated to a point where I spend more time playing 'avoid the pothole' then actually enjoying the drive. I haven't been on a bike for years, it just doesn't seem like much fun these days - it's bad enough in a car, can't imagine being on a bike.

[@karlsumner5594]

We pay vehicle tax, we pay council tax, we pay tax on the fuel…so where the hell is ALL this money going? We need a Revolution…the French wouldn’t stand for it and neither should we. (Good video btw)

[@rogerkay8603]

Paying £6M a DAY to put refugees in 4star hotels....

[@admshaw]

​@Roger Kay A best Western hotel on a industrial estate in the arse end of Norwich is hardly a luxurious 4 star, maybe change your newspaper and who you're listening to and wake up chump.

[@bigtom6443]

@@rogerkay8603 source?

[@hugocosta8795]

@@rogerkay8603 really?

[@nothanks9050]

The French don't bloody stand for it, I live here, roads are immaculate, billiard table smooth, wide hard shoulder, rural verges maintained, the roads that get resurfaced here are usually better than the best 15% in the UK. Travelled extensively nationwide in both countries, no comparison.

[@stuart.w]

Gavin's balance of candor and analytic, careful speech is really fantastic, another great collab!

[@HollyBerryDOOG]

If the Government hadn’t spent billions on ‘Smart’ motorways (that kill) and instead spent the money fixing the current network we wouldn’t have this problem.

[@progste]

Maybe solving problems wasn't the aim...

[@Stanley88845]

wait until you hear about how much they spent on the coronation

[@captainwin6333]

@@Stanley88845 and the funeral.

[@jonno94]

Someone said in another video on youtube, that it is going to cost the goverment around 900 million to make the smart motorways "safe" whatever that means? Dunno if it's true though?

[@VinEvil]

We all knew from the start they were going to be dangerous, maybe that was the elites aim. Wouldn’t surprise me after the virus bomb they likely created a couple of years ago.

[@ellisruff3314]

The legal insight here is so helpful so thank you. It really makes me think when I’m on the road. Keep em coming guys!!

[@richbrett7268]

This is a valuable segment guys. You should try New zealand roads! More rain than usual and less road maintenance funding combined with our road construction is the perfect recipe for massive pot holes!! Bloody dangerous on our unlit rural roads when i refer to rural roads i include large segments of SH 1 ( SH- state highway) which is the equivalent to the uk's M1- lol. SH30 to rotorua is another level of terrifyingly bad. You just wouldn't do it at night on a bike. Gravel you say! Our roads are repaired with gravel- well almost and left to the cars to eventually flick it off the road leaving tram lines of chip free carriage way should a car be kind enough to pull a little left, only to shower you in stones for their thoughtless courtesy. Needless to say windscreen repair is a regular, sometimes biannual event if you're lucky enough to have a maintenance crew spend months repairing your local roading. It makes for a legitimate reason to own an adventure bike for any road trip. However Our- roads are truly amazing in every regard.

[@Cloverleaf7642]

Brilliant, thanks Gavin and Al.

[@mikecain565]

These Legal hints & tips vlogs are worth a watch by anyone, So much information of what to look out for, On all matters, And you learn something new everytime, even at the age of 60.

[@brianperry]

You are absolutely correct about the roads in España, all roads except many agricultural roads are in good condition. l ride in the Provence of Valencia all the time.... We bikers are spoiled for choice...Seeing that massive pothole @ 4.6 - 4.14 was horrendous...

[@mrmando69]

This guy is an absolute legend. How he has the patients to deal with Westminster's n ob jockeys is a marvel to me. It's an absolutely outrage. They would rather let people die then spend the money they robbed from us. Vile. Thank You to 44 teeth - Alistair for covering this.

[@alrightdave6135]

What’s it got to do with Westminster?

[@mrmando69]

@@alrightdave6135 Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 members known as members of Parliament (MPs).

[@Lifeofriley18]

​@@mrmando69 He's a solicitor. He deals with the judiciary (judges) in court, not MPs or Lords.

[@mrmando69]

@James R oh OK , I thought laws were made in parliament , but your saying the judge makes up the laws. Interesting I might look into that

[@rogerkay8603]

Having been knocked off in August when a **** pulled out, and the insurance wanted to say 50/50, the camera showed the driver was fully at fault. Never ride without a camera or a back protector now.

[@twozup1098]

MORE OF THIS TYPE OF INFORMATIVE LEGAL RIGHTS CONTENT LADS!! BRILLIANT.

[@Weeem]

This was well timed. I've got a claim into my local authority atm for a pothole which tore a hole in one of my (car) tyre sidewalls and damaged the face of the alloy. Insta flat tyre. They were already working on repairs, but on the other side of the road (which was even worse). Getting the car sorted was enough of a pain, but when I claimed the damage they asked for loads of info, presumably to deter people from claiming. They wanted a copy of my V5, 2 estimates of repair, a copy of the last service record for the car and photos of the pothole. Anything to try to find a loophole to try not to pay out. Fortunately I keep everything in order and well maintained and went back on my pushbike to get photos later that night, so they got it all.

[@gordon861]

Regarding the diesel on the road, the local authority may not be responsible for it being dropped on the road, but they are liable to clean it up if it is reported. If I see a spill on the road I make a point to report it to the local authority (or a cop) and make sure that it is recorded as reported.

[@yodomcat]

Thanks for the sensitivity on the footage it’s much appreciated 🙏🏻 and great video! If anyone is ever in any doubt the team at White Dalton are fantastic anything happens where you think you might need them, don’t hesitate and call them!

[@ZomgitsZed]

I mean pretty clearly riders fualt but no harm in trying to sue here I guess.

[@yodomcat]

​@@ZomgitsZed The condition of the roads and what you can do should they create a situation for you is the point of the video; nothing to do with the rider. The point is if the pothole wasn't there the rta would not of happened in the first place.

[@ZomgitsZed]

@@yodomcat The point of the video is awesome dont get me wrong, I just see this as a crash from someone that has no idea how to ride honestly. Dont really see how the condition of the road effected him. he looses control way after it with to much throttle. yes roads should be better, but this one was on him.

[@MrMandown46]

Really hope you do more of these, they are always interesting! A couple of things. Part of the reason the weather effects us is the freeze thaw cycle, which isn't generally such a problem in places like the alps. It gets cold there and stays cold whereas here the snow/ice melts, runs into the already poor road and freezes again. Over and over and over which just rips the road apart. You generally refer to the end of winter start of spring as 'pothole season' because the just appears overnight. Its not just amount of snow that causes that. The other issue comes down to money. The government has consistently taken money away from local councils but still expects them to provide the same services. Thats why you see stuff like libraries and swimming pools closing, fields and sports halls sold off. The amount of money a council needs to properly resurface and maintain roads is massive compared to the money they actually get. I can't remember who it was but one council went on record giving numbers once, and they could basically afford to fully resurface all their roads every 200 years or something stupid. You'll see figures like 5 million allocated for roadworks and it sounds like a lot, but it's incredibly expensive to maintain roads properly. If you want better roads, you need to vote the current government out and hope the next does better. The people who spount nonsense about immigrants and it being deliberate to reduce road use are living in fantasy land, theres just no money to do a proper job, and its not generally the local councils fault. You ould always petition councils to close schools, reducing spending on old people, fire and rescue, and police so theres a bit more money for potholes but you've zero chance of that being reality. If you see a pothole, especially a bad one, report it! Almost every council will have an online tool, or use fixmystreet.com if you don't know it and they'll then be told, and that will trigger a set time where they have to inspect and rectify it if needed. If its on a motorway or major A road you can call National Highways on 03001235000 and their time is very short to get them fixed. Take a photo to add if you can, that reduces the wriggle room they have if something then happens. As for spills or diesel or gravel, again report it if you see it, if it's likely to cause a crash call the police and they'll send the council or highways out to clear it. Same if its on the motorways/A roads for national highways. I hope the poor lad who crashed at the start is ok, but i think he was going to crash sooner or later anyway, he'd recovered from the pothole and probably his mentioned inexperience led him to open the throttle when he looked around and then panic. Great advice about obtaining a gravel sample, I'd never even considered that.

[@gorillafacegwen9247]

Absolutely. Winter i notice all the hole locally just appearing.

[@Tolandur]

well that theory sounds good..... until you look at Norways roads.... we have the exact same climate as the UK up along the southwestern coast of the country..... and our roads survive that exact same freeze thaw cycle just fine..... so why aree UK roads falling appart when Norways roads do just fine in the same conditions...... thats the question you should ask your local council.....

[@MrMandown46]

@@Tolandur I don't know enough about Norways road network, the way you build roads or what you spend on maintaining them, or your comparative traffic volumes A very quick look suggests the UK has significantly more roads to maintain so that might effect spending per mile. I'd be genuinely interested in hearing how you maintain or build differently, and if theres any difference between where you have the cycle on the southern area compared to the arctic circle are in the north As i said though, the freeze/thaw is why potholes develop, its not a theory thats just how it gets so bad so quickly. If the roads are in a poor condition to start with (as ours are) it only makes it worse. Roads that are in a good condition survive better because theres less flaws for the water to get into. I's an interesting subject despite it sounding boring, a lot of work goes into roads everywhere. As I said, I can't talk about many other countries roads because I don't know, all I can give is a partial explaination as to why ours suffer, and the prime reason is underinvestment to do a proper job in the first place, and lack of money to maintain properly. Glad you've got good roads at least, might have to plan a trip there :)

[@Lifeofriley18]

Great comment. Shame I can't like it more than once 🙂

[@Tom_Hadler]

Bollocks. They have money to spend on roads and they spend it on reducing speed limits, clean air zones, speed bumps etc. When they find (have reported to them) a pothole they assess it, think about it, after a while they'll send chaps in a van to paint a yellow ring around it, then it'll eventually get filled in. But not properly sealed with bitumen, so the joint will open up again with the freeze thaw cycle

[@gerardmontgomery280]

It's funny how the government, local or national can use "I didn't know" as a defence. Try using that for a speeding fine when the 40mph sign was hidden behind an uncut hedge.

[@ardrich1]

Never too old to learn, wouldn't have thought about collecting a sample of gravel. I suppose you could just dig it out of the nearest pothole, bound to be one nearby!

[@Stanley88845]

8:45 happened to my dad in his car. Massive pothole cracked the shit out of his wheel. Battled with the council over it for near enough a year before getting any amount of money from them.

[@MrMannakin]

MAG were recently asking members about their experience and possible accidents related to road surface defects

[@MrBiggles]

Thank you guys for keeping us all informed about this really important legal stuff, much appreciated.

[@ozzyg82]

I was changing lane riding at night along the A13 a few years back, my front wheel got caught in a rut similar to that, which I couldn’t see at night, and I almost came off both in the rut at motorway speeds in the dark, and during the terrifying tank slapper that it threw me into. To this day I don’t know how I stayed on, but by God I never change lane now without looking for the tell tale dark scar along the white lines.

[@MrSureiam]

I hit a pothole and bent the rim on my bike. When I looked up the area on Google maps to give them the location, that hole had been there for like over 3 years. The local council said they are not liable for the damages. They filled the pothole within 1 week of my complaint

[@derekgray7716]

Very very sound advice. Excellent service team 44

[@robinwells8879]

Very useful advice gentlemen. Thanks. I have always wondered why the throttle on bikes are oriented how they are. Apply throttle and inertia will tend to try to leave the rider behind as the bike accelerates. ( not perhaps mine as it’s only a 125!). This will inevitably lead to the hand opening the throttle wider as their hand unwinds from the grip. Not perhaps designed with inherent safety. Is there a reason for this?

[@camofilms]

I drive over pot holes so severe that even on my Africa Twin my spine is temporarily shaken into a blur

[@TheScortUK]

Missed these chaps in this month's Fast Bikes, but nice to see a 44Teeth vid!

[@douglasreid699]

Moral of the story, be the best rider you can, get more rider training so you can look for hazards and avoid them rather than relying on making claims.

[@daveisinthegarage]

Excellent video, I’ve become a bit of a sad twat and taken to reporting all the pot holes to the local council via their self service portal, interestingly they seem to say most are not a danger, probably not in the car but would easily have you off on a bike! When they do ‘fix’ then it’s not much of an improvement either!

[@gavingrewal6384]

Not sad. It is these types of reports which put a local authority 'on notice' of a defect, so well done!

[@gordon861]

All those reports should be available via an FOI if someone has an accident, so they are worth making.

[@dinxsy8069]

I came off on a massive pothole on a slip road, smashed my collar bone, bike was wrecked. Insurance company didn't payout as they said it could have been avoided, doing 70mph sure avoid it. council/highway agency said it wasn't "deep" enough to warrant a claim. I was left hung out to dry, few weeks later it had been filled.

[@lygase]

Love these legal corner vids!

[@carlososos6622]

Been down on diesel on a roundabout a few years ago. Scary how quick it goes from under you. I was very lucky that I saw I was in the middle of a slick before it went and managed to slow the bike right down. A couple of scrapes but nothing much. Was fuming though. Called up the highways and it was cleaned up pretty quick.

[@AntaresSQ01]

If not even just for crashing etc, my commute to work is an absolute pile of..... When you're going 5-10mph behind cars, these huge eroded channels and lips and grooves pose a genuine risk as they really "guide" the bike, sometimes completely out of your hands, you just have to let it shoot to the left or right following the groove because if you force it the other way you simply crash... I've picked up 7 punctures last year on these crappy roads, that's almost a grand in rear tyres... and it's not like I was surfing the median etc, just these crappy debris filled roads invite trash and rubble that gets collected especially in the middle, and you run a real risk everytime you need to cross over from one side of the lane to the other...

[@deepjoyrides]

I used W&D solicitors in 1999 when I lorry pulled out on me. There were no witnesses to the accident & they took on the case & won a nice settlement for me. Enough to replace my motorcycle & kit. I was in hospital a while recovering from my injuries & it took me 3 months to be fit enough to ride again, also to be fit for work. I would highly recommend them.

[@tarmacscratcher]

That was excellent, please keep up the fantastic work. I've been motorcycling for over 40 years and I learnt some new things. Thanks, brilliant. 👍😊

[@Snoozzzzzze]

Regarding gravel it is often the gravel out of the potholes even after potholes have been filled, the highways badgers never sweep it up. Question: what about road top dressing where the council spray tar on the road and then throw gravel all over it?

[@onlyonermf]

Great video, really good to get a lawyers POV. Interesting about the gravel, since Covid a lot of councils are doing the cheapo throw gravel on the road instead of re-tarmacing. Does this produce lots of ‘real’ claims as I’ve seen bikes struggle especially sports bikes

[@Quazi1966]

Having just left the employ of a local authority, I can concur that the internal politics are shocking, responsibility within is nowhere to be seen between departments. Once in, you are on a merry-go-round.

[@john25992]

I’d argue that if you’re a new rider all the more reason to expect roads that are in a good state of repair. You pass your test, buy a bike, buy your kit, pay your insurance, pay your tax, you’re legally allowed to ride your bike - and then the local council hasn’t held up their end of the bargain. A major road like that should be up to standard that allows one of the most vulnerable road users (a new rider) to be safe on, minus the funky throttle application afterwards.

[@stevegrant8195]

Really interesting video, thanks guys

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Great video with great advice from Gav.

[@onemanmob6756]

Yeah... Motorbiking is not just wheelies, mountain roads and trackdays... Thanks for this informative video!

[@MatNewtonTrio]

Brilliant video. Lots of very useful information, couldn’t believe the gravel thing. 😮

[@750triton]

Although we may be seen as unpaid civil servants, we should report pot holes. They can't deny knowledge. I took legal advice years ago who said we should report gravel or obstructions to 999, they will then report it to the council, It's surprising how quick they sort it. Cops usually ask awkward questions like "did you spill the gravel", No I'm just a conscientious driver doing my bit to keep the roads safe

[@PeakMotoHiker]

Great advice from Gavin from Dalton and White, currently dealing with the Cheshire East Council due to a buckled wheel caused by a rut/pothole on the A54.

[@Monty_J]

years back I crashed at low speed in a corner when I hit a large pile of loose red gravel that had collected down the middle of the road after they had coated it. there were no signs for roadworks or a dangerous surface, nothing. Took me a year, but finally got a payout directly from the large construction firm who did the works. no video either just photos.

[@Smeeheeee]

Brilliant job guys. Let's hope more people sue the local authorities so they finally decide its better for everyone if they just fix the damn roads.

[@HuntsChris]

I’ve put three claims to the council, one paid, one refused, one pending. The claims department at the local authority are absolutely geared up to deny claims, you can even FOI how many claims in total are made and denied on a stretch of road. They hide behind section 58, you have to go small claims, it’s awful. My local authority also keep zero repair records and I’m convinced there is corruption between them and their repair contractors. My concern about small claims court is cost if you loose your argument.

[@gordon861]

They do keep repair records, they have to pay the contractors for the jobs they do, there WILL be a record of them being sent to that job, or the contractor will have a record because they need to bill the council. They should also have records as to when the road was last inspected, which in conjunction with StreetView is a good way to see if they are lying.

[@thedarkknight1971]

FUN BUT UNSURPRISING FACT... 30 years a go 85/90% of Road Tax went back on roads. Now... LESS THAN 10%. Yeah, you read right, The 'Road Fund Licence' or 'Road Tax' USED TO BE mainly used for the roads - New/Repairs/Resurfacing etc. But now, it's syphoned off for other things hence the drop from 85/90% down to less than 10%. This is why councils have looked to cheaper alternatives like 'Chucking a load of stones/chippings down and letting road users flatten it out'. 1- Those resurfacing techniques DO NOT last. 2- It's FEKKIN LETHAL for cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, potentially for car users too. 3 - The SHEER AMOUNT of stone chips to my (and other motorcyclists) helmet and visor (it WHACKS LIKE A ROCK!), then, paintwork damage done to people's cars. We pay our Road Tax FOR A REASON, so the Govt SHOULD use ALL that money on roads and NOT syphon it off into one big pot along with the other taxes we pay for... 😠 😎🇬🇧

[@tonybarton3746]

Where I live , dash cams are a must , especially this time of year , when grockles on holiday forget how to drive , I’m on holiday so why shouldn’t I just pull out without looking , move direction no indication etc . Great devices + plus as usual good advice

[@briangc1972]

@9:07 the section 58 defense was used in Chicago, IL, USA in the 80's. So an enterprising young lawyer created a book listing all the potholes in the city and had its published. Once it was published, The city of Chicago found its was unable to claim ignorance of the defects and lost every case after that. You need to write a book. 😃

[@handsfree1000]

I’ve just been on a ride to Scotland and there were so many newly tarmaced roads up there. We stopped at the famous Green welly for petrol and the forecourt was covered in diesel, this made one of our bikes really unstable for a few miles.

[@ZeeBri]

Love this series. White Dalton crew seem like top guys. Shame the councils are more interested in spending their money on average speed cameras than decent roads

[@Baz1000r]

Great video. Very interesting and informative.

[@mohammadrasoulfard-habibi3066]

These are brilliant, especially as a new rider.

[@driveandsurvive]

Hi Gavin, thanks for sharing your expertise with all of us. I'd be very interested to hear your position on the potential liability of state authorities, for selecting and installing roadside furniture/infrastructure (in the case of the first crash scene - the road barrier with exposed support posts) that represents due to inadequate design, a significant risk of injury to riders in road accidents.

[@hoodedr6]

The most annoying part is because of the conditions of the roads, I have to become a hazard because I’m constantly having to swerve around and avoid things.

[@garethmayfield4014]

Its not just on you're bike. With the cost of car wheels nowadays, I'm always moving to avoid holes.

[@Labgorilla]

Seriosuly man. Going to work in the morning and at night and the roads are truly shocking. It’s lethal. I’m genuinely scared of riding in the evenings or in the rain because of hidden mahussive potholes . Feels like it’s only a matter of time

[@MadChalet]

Thanks for the informative video, even for someone like me sitting here in the US. I'm specifically in NYC ... some of the roads hardly deserve the name. BTW, love the workman's sandals at 13:30. 😯

[@stevenwoodman1032]

Imagine us saying 'oh i didn't know my tyre was bald' i didn't check well enough and getting away with it in court 😆

[@digger8180]

Great post, thanks gents.

[@danielparker6368]

Brilliant vid, so informative

[@nomading_in]

One of the reasons I favour an adventure bike. You often go through sections where something like a 70/30 tire and adaptive suspension reacts well to iffy road conditions. Fairly recently I overcooked a corner late at night on a really badly paved road, and ended up using the verge and end of line ditch as an unexpected off-road section and walked away completely unscathed. If I was riding a road bike it would have been trashed.

[@ClericProfane]

The roads in wellingborough are Laughable, I hope the rider gets justice!!!

[@grahamleigh2262]

Really informative guys… Thank you both

[@davidheaton5765]

This is really interesting guys. More of this please!

[@weerides]

Brilliantly useful info as always! thanks all!

[@BikesofRye]

Please lets be frank here - The road was not the issue in this accident. What we should be doing is advising newbie riders to get a bike that is appropriate for their skill level. Then the less of this common occurrence would happen. Sadly ego plays a large part of this issue

[@OllyKilo]

You're right about the bike being too much, but the lawyer has already addressed that. The focus of the video is the utter disrepair of UK roads, and what danger they pose.

[@tomformon3672]

Agreed, but, if the pot hole were not present would the rider have come off on a roundabout joining a major road? Personally I think not

[@BikesofRye]

​@@tomformon3672 that rider would have come off if he rode over a fag packet. Its ignorant to blame the roads if you are not capable of actually handling a big bike. This rider should be on an MT07 and even that might be too much for some beginners.

[@gibfear]

"Weather" is just an excuse they use and too many people fall for - "weather" only damages roads when they are already poorly maintained with cracks and pot holes... If the surface is good and sealed roads wouldn't break up like they do. The roads in calderdale are absolutely shocking and literally falling apart, the council will never have the money to repair everything to a suitable standard. It's gone past the point of no return, and even the patching and bodging they are doing is shockingly bad. The time to try and catch up was during lockdown, but no, they all went home to sit in their gardens on 100% furlough salaries and excellent pensions...

[@stephenchapman8344]

Report every road surface issue to your local authority there by shifting the onus on them to address it.

[@captainwin6333]

If the local authority claims it didn't know about a rut or pothole that looks like it's been there for a while, surely the best course of action at court is to request the GPS from their highway inspectors vehicle. That would show which roads he'd been down.

[@dsofe4879]

I visited the UK for the first time a few days ago and wow you weren't kidding, there's potholes big enough to swallow an entire wheel. Scary stuff.

[@Bigyin600]

August 2018 on way home from a trackday in pissing rain i came off my Multistrada after a sudden tankslapper and was thrown from the bike at about 70 mph with me ending up under central reservation barrier, destroying the bike and screwing up my shoulder to the extent of needing surgery. I initially thought i had aquaplaned but then saw the huge dent in the wheel rim and went back and found a long thin pothole i had crossed but had been water filled so didnt see it. I put in a claim from Highways England who initially declined all blame and tried to fob me off with inspection reports saying no defect. I then quoted Sec 41 Highways Act, sent them photos of pothole, damage and injuries and threatened court action. Took a year for them to cough up but i finally got 12 grand out of them for replacing the bike and 9 months off riding due to surgery and recovery. ALWAYS claim from the local authority or Highways if a defect brings you off and dont accept a fob off. Use the relevant law to your advantage boys and girls as its there and WILL help you and at least get something back for the pain and damage. I reported the defect every six months since then in case it caught some other poor sod and it took almost 4 years till they resurfaced the section

[@The-Splat]

Four years! 😡

[@pw3591]

That's why I think "Adventure bikes" are so good for UK roads. My T7 soaks most of it up, wouldn't consider a sports bike anymore.

[@michaelsmoothy4540]

Hi enjoying your video keep up the good work and I would also like to add I had the pleasure of meeting and using Gavins services with white daltons he’s a fantastic lawyer

[@maxforster9892]

I won't wear a camera riding anymore, I was riding at 50mph in a 50, single carriageway at night after long shift at work, 10pm, car infront of Me was driving into the gutter encouraging me to overtake, so I did overtake and briefly hit 60. In the middle of the road was had a large hash marking( so large a car could fit in there ) , but because the car was so car in the gutter I didn't even enter the hash markings, I got pulled over briefly after, by cop coming the other way undercover he said he had to swerve to avoid me, and that i blasted past. He siezed my SD card, and told me the last person that SD card got siezed they ended up in prison, I didn't sleep for 3 days until he called me back 3 days later to tell me my riding was OK... when he said he had to swerve to avoid me I questioned myself and I believed him but then when he returned the SD card and I was the footage I was shocked what he had accused me of. I was just grateful for it to be over with.

[@Getting-On]

Excellent vid, good points on the on top of highway materials, and review of materials by geologists. many thanks.

[@michaelhart5886]

Should see the goat track we call Parramatta Rd here in Sydney's Australia. A bmw GS would disappear down the holes and its a major Rd as well

[@davidbird380]

whisky throttle? never heard of it but had the same thing on an old GSX1100, scared me to this day. a lesson learned

[@testedm8224]

can we please continue this series. ive subscribed because of this. More talk about how terrible the UK is, hopefully someone who can change something about it will see this video

[@thepassionofthegoose5472]

I'm in California. My solution for our less than stellar roads was to buy a bike with a 21/18 wheels for commuting and a supermotard for weekend/track nonsense. Suddenly seeing large metal plates covering oversized potholes is so apart of my daily routine that when I'm riding in other states I actually miss dodging them.

[@seano4214]

😂

[@vishalprajapati8840]

This is so useful content. Thanks guys for bringing it up

[@ozzyg82]

You have to remember though, that there are a shit tonne of tolls in France so that’s a big part of the reason why they’re better. It’s like your constantly driving on private roads that you have to fund as you go along and it quickly adds up. Also, the funny thing is, when roads are “repaired” in the UK, they’re often done so with that loose, gravelly shit - which, ironically, is often as bad as, or more dangerous than the crappy surface it was put down to repair.

[@Addy29plus5]

Great stuff

[@KnightRider1157]

White Dalton, providing solid advice for years. Got to be worth a call if you need help.

[@andybriggs6343]

It's so bad where I live that I sent the council an email saying that "If they were going to do f%£@ all about fixing the potholes, could we at least have a lifeguard on standby incase someone should fall in and start drowning!"

[@KennyKak]

Now i hit a pot hole a few years ago resulting in 3 fractures in my elbow. When we put the claim in against the local council they fobbed us of saying we wouldn't be getting a claim as their inspection records were up to date. A quick look on google street view shows the pot hole (3ft long 6 inches wide) was there clear as day and the images were 3years old!!! Needless to say they excepted liability instantly.

[@oxygen6371]

Length and width don't matter as much as depth

[@joelwall1131]

Great video. Thanks for that very useful content. More please

[@DanielRussell664]

I hit a rut like this on my Versys 1000, just outside Sleaford. It was on a right hand corner right in the middle of my lane and around 4 inches wide. I hit the corner at around 40, the bike was very unsettled, came off throttle and a touch of rear brake went to the very left of the lane and just hoped the bike would get round it after dipping in. It was a brown trouser moment for sure and it was a rut like in this video what caused it. Almost we ended up in a farmers field.

[@victorgordon3334]

Lads well done .thank you for the imformation .i think it will help people ☺

[@fr499y4]

Welcome to Northamptonshire! Roads are shit around here 😂

[@mbpm6135]

I like it best when a huge 2x2m hole has to be filled, the local authorities do it by what seems to be liquid tar and leave it to dry. It looks so sketchy it's even shiny. I can't imagine how many vehicles are going to lose grip on that patch in the rain. Why oh why is the bureaucratic system so sluggish, inefficient and unwilling? There are plenty of ways to do a quality repair that last a lot longer.

[@pablohumphs6060]

I was hoping you'd discuss that temporary rd surface gravel that's put down by the local authority.

[@Cronus111]

It increasingly feels like they don't even roll and sweep it anymore. They leave it in a dangerous state hoping cars will do that job over many weeks, not to mention all the excess loose gravel in corners and center.

[@adamtehan1936]

another great video. On roads I use a lot I tend to use the local authorities 'report a defect' page on the website, If I was to come off because of one of these potholes etc, or came across another biker who had, would this be evidence that the local authority had previous knowledge of the defect and therefore they wouldn't have a defence? Also, it would probably be a video all in its own but what happens if you come off due to Surface dressing?