Potholes: Sweden, Europe, USA

Sweden
National Pothole Week (May 1–7) is an annual campaign in Sweden initiated by the motorists’ association M Sverige (formerly Motormännen). Its purpose is to raise awareness of potholes and inadequate road maintenance, and to encourage the public to report every pothole and road defect so they can be repaired. By concentrating efforts during a single week, the organizers hope to “break the sense of resignation” among road users and authorities, potholes should not have to be accepted as part of everyday life.


Campaign activities are run by M Sverige, the country’s largest motorists’ consumer organization. During Pothole Week, all road users are urged to report any holes they encounter to the responsible authority (Trafikverket for national roads, municipalities for local roads).

M Sverige stresses that, even if “it may feel like nothing is happening,” these reports are a crucial tool for getting potholes fixed (msverige.se). In 2025, M Sverige also introduced a photo contest inviting the public to submit pictures of Sweden’s worst potholes with the goal of crowning the “Worst Pothole in Sweden” and keeping the issue in the spotlight.

This year’s timing is especially favorable, as the government recently tasked Trafikverket with prioritizing road maintenance more heavily over the next five years, increasing the likelihood that reported defects will be addressed promptly.

Statistics and Scope in Sweden

  • Road network condition: Over 25 % of Sweden’s 98 500 km of national roads are rated in poor condition (msverige.se). An analysis by Transportföretagen found that 11 % of national roads were in very poor condition in 2023, an increase from previous years. In addition, the country’s 42 800 km of municipal roads also suffer from widespread defects.

  • Maintenance backlog: Prolonged underfunding has created an estimated SEK 25 billion maintenance backlog for Sweden’s roads (msverige.se). Between 2022 and 2023, this backlog grew from SEK 16.5 billion to SEK 19.1 billion. Without additional resources, it is projected to swell to SEK 46 billion by 2033, by which time up to 25 % of roads could be in very poor condition.

  • Number of potholes: Although a precise national count is difficult, Trafikverket was forced in 2022 to perform emergency “patching and pothole repairs” on a far larger scale than planned due to the network’s condition. Each spring thaw sees a surge of newly reported holes.

  • Costs: Poor roads impose high costs on vehicle owners. In 2014, about 207 000 vehicle repairs were attributed to pothole damage, totaling nearly SEK 625 million; five years later, both the number of repairs and total costs had risen significantly, with motorists paying over SEK 300 million more in 2019 than in 2014 (svd.se). M Sverige estimates that deteriorating roads also create wider socioeconomic costs through increased vehicle wear and longer travel times when speed limits must be reduced because of road damage (msverige.se).

Effects on Vehicles and Traffic Safety
Potholes damage vehicles, causing punctures, sidewall tears, bent rims and misaligned wheels. Swedish garages report a surge in customers each spring with wheels destroyed by potholes, often at moderate speeds. From a safety perspective, potholes pose multiple risks:

  • Loss of traction: An uneven surface can break the tire–road contact, increasing the risk of losing control and causing accidents, especially at higher speeds.

  • Avoidance maneuvers: Drivers swerving to avoid holes risk collisions or running off the road; M Sverige warns that such evasive actions are themselves a “risk moment” in traffic.

  • Driver distraction and fatigue: Continuous scanning of the road surface distracts drivers from surrounding traffic, and the vibration and noise of rough roads can induce drowsiness, impairing reaction times.

    Vulnerable road users suffer too: cycling organizations warn that unexpected holes can cause cyclists to crash. In the UK, roughly one cyclist per week is killed or seriously injured by potholes (jmw.co.uk), and similar winter‐thaw risks exist in Sweden before repairs are made.

Measures and Initiatives in Sweden

  • Government action: Trafikverket is responsible for national road maintenance and carries out continuous pothole repairs, especially in spring. The government’s five‐year directive to prioritize maintenance has spurred an increase in spring repair budgets: in 2023, SEK 19.1 billion was allocated (though still insufficient to reduce the backlog). Some municipalities have also boosted their asphalt maintenance funds, for example, Växjö added SEK 6 million in 2024 to begin tackling its local backlog.

  • Reports and reviews: Annual analyses such as Transportföretagen’s “Long‐Term Effects of Underfunded Road Maintenance” highlight that current funding levels will not prevent ongoing deterioration. They recommend an extra SEK 2.3 billion per year just to halt backlog growth. M Sverige likewise warns that the network has been “mismanaged for too long” and that reactive repairs will ultimately cost more than timely maintenance (msverige.se). Both organizations call for a long‐term financing plan to raise road standards.

  • Other initiatives: Beyond National Pothole Week, many regions offer user‐friendly defect‐reporting systems, from simple e‐services to GPS‐enabled apps. Some frustrated citizens even mark potholes with spray paint or temporarily fill them with gravel, and social media posts of dramatic examples add pressure on authorities to act.

Trivia about Potholes in Sweden

  • Speed reductions: As an indirect consequence of poor road conditions, Trafikverket has had to lower speed limits on a total of 1 200 km of national road to improve safety (msverige.se).

  • Worst pothole contest: In 2023, M Sverige’s informal contest for “Sweden’s worst pothole” highlighted a bathtub‐sized hole on a county road in Dalarna that caused multiple punctures before repair, raising public awareness.

  • Pothole season: The spring thaw is often dubbed “pothole season” by motor experts; as frost recedes, Nordic roads become bumpy obstacle courses each year, resulting in numerous tire and wheel damages. This phenomenon is likely exacerbated by climate change, with mild winters and frequent freeze‐thaw cycles cracking asphalt more often.

  • Etymology: The Swedish term potthål derives from the English “pothole,” which may trace back to 15th-century England when potters dug clay from road depressions—“pot-holes”—to make ceramics (jmw.co.uk). Today it describes the bowl-shaped road defects we know.


Europe
Initiatives and Campaigns in Europe
Many European countries face pothole challenges and run campaigns similar to Sweden’s. In the UK, National Pothole Day on January 15 has been observed since 2015. Motorist groups, media and the public spotlight potholes and lobby for better maintenance. Leading voices include The AA (Automobile Association), which, with other partners, formed The Pothole Partnership to advocate for permanent repairs rather than temporary “patches,” and for increased use of innovation in detection and repair (theaa.com). Grassroots apps like Fill That Hole, run by cycling organizations, also encourage public reporting (jmw.co.uk). In some UK towns, residents have planted flowers or painted markings around potholes to shame authorities into action.

Statistics and Costs in Europe

  • Number of potholes: The UK alone is estimated to have at least one million potholes—about six per mile of road—according to a legal claims firm (jmw.co.uk). After harsh winters, many continental cities report hundreds of thousands of new holes; for instance, Rome filled over 50 000 potholes in just the first quarter of 2018 following an unusually cold winter.

  • Repair budgets: In autumn 2023, the UK government allocated an extra £8 billion for road maintenance and pothole repairs. Despite this, many local authorities still cannot keep pace: the annual number of fixed potholes has begun to decline, indicating maintenance efforts lag behind wear.

  • Motorist costs: UK drivers spend about £579 million per year on vehicle damage from potholes (theaa.com). The AA reported attending to 643 318 pothole‐related breakdowns in 2024, over 1 700 incidents per day. A 2021 survey found one in three UK motorists had suffered pothole damage in the previous two years.

  • Accidents and injuries: Potholes also contribute to traffic accidents, especially affecting motorcyclists and cyclists; around 52 cyclists are killed or seriously injured annually in the UK due to potholes (jmw.co.uk). While car crashes linked directly to potholes are harder to quantify, poor road conditions are cited as a factor in many collisions, through increased braking distance or avoidance maneuvers.

  • Infrastructure quality: An EU‐wide overview noted vast variations in road quality: Nordic countries wrestle with freeze-thaw damage, while southern Europe faces heat-related cracking. The EU estimates Europe’s road maintenance backlog at hundreds of billions of euros, hampering economies and road safety. For example, in 2020 Germany reported that 50–60 % of municipal roads needed renovation, and Italy even deployed the military in some regions to repair roads that year.

Effects and Consequences in Europe
European motorists endure the same pothole-related vehicle damage, tires, chassis and suspension components suffer regularly. Insurers in the UK have seen a rise in pothole‐related claims, and local authorities paid over £8 million in compensation to affected road users in 2018 (Asphalt Industry Alliance). Road safety groups warn that potholes undermine Vision Zero goals to eliminate fatal accidents; riders in Paris, London and Milan often detour to avoid known pothole-ridden streets, affecting traffic flow and emissions. Economically, poor roads increase freight costs—truck wear, delivery delays and rural transport disruptions—estimated to cost the UK economy around SEK 30 billion per year in delays, extra vehicle maintenance and accident expenses.

Measures and Initiatives in Europe

  • Investments: Several European governments have added road‐maintenance funding recently. The UK’s one-off £8 billion boost in 2023 is one example (tidningenproffs.se). France launched a €1 billion rural roads plan in 2022, and many EU Recovery Fund allocations are earmarked for improving roads and bridges, indirectly cutting potholes.

  • Technology and innovation: Some UK councils are trialing self-healing asphalt—mixes containing fibers that “heal” cracks under heat—and using drones to inspect surfaces. JCB’s “PotholePro” machine can cut out and refill a hole in under eight minutes, praised by The AA for saving time and money (theaa.com).

  • Policy and monitoring: The UK’s annual ALARM report (Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance) tracks road conditions and repair needs; 2023 data showed a slight drop in pothole reports but higher repair costs per hole, due to rising asphalt prices and labor shortages, recommending a 10–14-year funding plan. Similar assessments are done by Germany’s ADAC and Sweden’s Transportföretagen.

  • Collaborations: FIA and its European members lobby at the EU level for well-maintained roads as a prerequisite for road-safety targets. EU research is also exploring “smart” road monitoring, such as equipping service vehicles with sensors to automatically detect emerging damage during routine runs.



United States
Initiatives and Campaigns in the USA
Although there is no official national “Pothole Week,” Americans unofficially observe January 15 as “National Pothole Day,” echoing the UK. Some cities and states use this day to remind residents to report potholes for instance, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, invited reports via an app on National Pothole Day 2023 for rapid repairs. Many major cities run spring “pothole blitzes”: Washington D.C.’s annual “Potholepalooza” sees crews rush to fill as many holes as possible, while Chicago, New York and Los Angeles publicly announce their yearly totals, Chicago once filled over 250 000 potholes in a single year (city transport department data).

State DOTs also lead campaigns: Michigan DOT declared a “Pothole Emergency” after a harsh winter in 2019, requesting extra federal aid. Ohio and Illinois educate motorists on reporting potholes and obtaining compensation for damage—some states maintain dedicated reimbursement funds.

Statistics and Scope in the USA

  • Number of potholes: With over 6.5 million km of public roads, the US likely has over 55 million potholes of all sizes, averaging around eight to nine per mile (nationaltoday.com).

  • Road condition: The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) reported in 2018 that 43 % of major roads (arterials and freeways) were in poor or fair condition, indicating widespread roughness, cracking and potholes. Conditions vary widely—northern cities like Detroit and Cleveland are notorious for bad roads, while sections of newer Texas highways perform better.

  • Repair costs: Pothole repair is a major expense: one study found each state DOT spends about USD 5.5 million annually on pothole filling (mdpi.com), totaling roughly USD 275 million per year at state level, plus tens of millions more at city level—New York City budgeted USD 21 million for potholes in 2019. Still, wear often outpaces repairs.

  • Motorist costs: AAA estimates that US drivers pay about USD 3 billion per year in pothole-related repairs—tires, rims, shocks, suspension and more (mdpi.com). Averaged over drivers, that’s roughly USD 150  per vehicle over five years, though damages vary greatly.

  • Accidents and safety: Poor pavement contributes to traffic accidents: research links substandard road conditions to up to one-third of rural traffic fatalities (TRIP, 2018), and the Road Information Program (TRIP) estimated that bad roads, including potholes, play a role in about 2 000 traffic deaths per year in the US due to loss of control.

Effects on Vehicles and Traffic in the USA
Every spring, US repair shops see floods of drivers with punctures and bent rims from potholes. While SUVs and pickups fare slightly better over small holes, heavier vehicles—especially electric cars with heavy battery packs—can exacerbate pavement stress (tidningenproffs.se). Traffic flow suffers too: sudden braking to avoid holes creates bottlenecks on freeways, and on urban streets drivers weave around damage, risking collisions. Motorcyclists and cyclists often swerve into adjacent lanes, with tragic results—e.g., a motorcyclist in Los Angeles died in 2022 after hitting an unseen pothole on the highway.

Economically, poor roads raise fuel consumption (vehicles vibrate more), increase maintenance costs, and incur indirect expenses from delays and accidents. The U.S. Department of Transportation notes that infrastructure investment yields high returns by reducing these hidden costs.

Measures and Initiatives in the USA

  • Federal investment: The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated USD 110 billion for roads and bridges over several years. Though it does not single out potholes, funding full pavement reconstructions is expected to cut pothole incidence on major routes.

  • Rapid response units: Many cities deploy fast-action crews—New York City aims to repair reported potholes within 15 days, often faster in Manhattan. Detroit’s “Pothole Patrol” uses sensor-equipped trucks that map holes for repair crews. Los Angeles trials cold-mix asphalt that can be placed in damp conditions, enabling year-round repairs.

  • Citizen reporting: Apps like SeeClickFix let residents photograph and report street defects directly to municipal maintenance departments. Cities such as Boston and San Francisco integrate these reports into their systems and notify users when repairs are completed—Boston filled over 90 % of reported potholes within two days during a pilot (SeeClickFix data).

  • Research and new materials: Universities and DOTs develop AI-based detection—smartphones record vibrations to map damage—and test rubberized asphalt blends that resist cracking. Some states are experimenting with embedded pavement sensors that alert when cracks begin, allowing fixes long before potholes appear.

 



NIRA Dynamics Road Insights: Connected Vehicle Data for Preventive Maintenance
Traditional reactive approaches—waiting for potholes to appear and then patching—are costly and piecemeal. Road Insights fundamentally transforms road condition monitoring by leveraging a fleet of connected vehicles as rolling sensors. As our vehicles traverse every street, they continuously measure road friction and surface roughness. This real-time data creates a complete, high-resolution map of current roadway health, pinpointing existing damage and identifying sections at risk of deterioration before visible potholes form.

By replacing expensive manual surveys and temporary fixes with automated, in-service monitoring, agencies drastically reduce inspection costs. Combined with our advanced forecasting models,see NIRA Dynamics’ work on improving predictive maintenance strategies: niradynamics.com, transportation planners can schedule targeted preventive interventions—such as seal coating or micro-surfacing—at the optimal time. Preventive maintenance arrests pavement distress in its infancy, avoiding the exponential cost increases associated with large-scale repairs or full-depth reconstructions. In practice, this strategy can cut lifecycle maintenance costs by up to 70 % compared to purely reactive patch-and-repair cycles, all while enhancing safety and minimizing traffic disruptions.

 


Summary
Potholes remain a global challenge, in Sweden, Europe and the USA, driven by seasonal stresses, aging infrastructure and underfunding. Awareness campaigns like Sweden’s National Pothole Week, the UK’s National Pothole Day and American pothole blitzes help mobilize public reporting and resources. Yet, traditional find-and-fix methods struggle to keep pace, leading to billions in vehicle damage and socioeconomic costs. Road Insights offers a proactive path forward: by harnessing connected vehicles and predictive analytics for continuous road monitoring, we enable preventive maintenance that substantially lowers repair costs, extends pavement life and delivers smoother, safer journeys for everyone.