‘Frightening’ amount of drivers involved in near-misses caused by faded markings

One in six (16%) drivers have had a near-miss with another vehicle because of faded road markings, a new survey suggests.

The RAC, which commissioned the poll, described the result as “frightening” and urged the UK Government to work with councils to “rectify this situation”.

Some 72% of respondents to the survey of 1,693 drivers said the issue of disappearing road markings has worsened in the previous five years.

Three out of five (63%) motorists said faded road markings have resulted in them having to guess where the lanes were, while 38% said they have ended up in the wrong lane.

Some 13% said they have overshot a junction because they could not see markings on the road.

Road markings include lines at the centre of carriageways separating lanes of traffic, arrows, stop lines at junctions and speed limit signs painted on roads.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s frightening to think almost one in five 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.

“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.

“We urge them to work with councils to rectify this situation.”