New research from the RAC indicates that road markings across the UK are increasingly fading, with a significant number of drivers reporting that markings in their local areas have become unclear or are no longer visible.
According to the findings, 21% of drivers say that most road markings near them have faded, while an additional 71% report that some markings have disappeared. A total of 72% of respondents believe the problem has worsened over the past five years, and 92% think this has had a negative impact on road safety.
Among the most commonly reported missing markings are centre carriageway lines, including solid single, double, and broken white lines, cited by 50% of drivers. Other markings noted as faded include arrows at roundabouts or junctions (48%), ‘give way’ lines (44%), yellow box junctions (43%), stop lines (41%), and painted speed limit signs (36%).
Additional markings that drivers say are deteriorating include:
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Hatching zones/diagonal white lines – 29%
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Bus or cycle lane markings – 22%
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Zebra crossing stripes – 24%
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Cycle boxes at traffic lights – 17%
The reported effects of faded markings vary. 63% of respondents said they’ve had to guess lane positions, while 38% reported ending up in the wrong lane. Around 19% said they had experienced a confrontation or horn from another road user, and the same proportion had to change lanes suddenly. Additional consequences included near-miss incidents (16%) and overshooting junctions due to missing stop or ‘give way’ markings (13%).
The survey also found that 84% of drivers believe repainting road markings would improve local road safety, while 91% said they wish their local authority did more to maintain them.
Separate data from the RAC Report on Motoring identified faded road markings and poor drainage as the second most significant safety issue on roads (38%), behind potholes, which were cited by 80% of respondents.
Commenting on the findings, RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the progressive decline in road marking visibility poses a risk to driver safety. He urged local and national authorities to address the issue, especially given the recent release of the UK’s updated Road Safety Strategy.
Williams stated that although repainting markings comes at a cost, the consequences of letting them fade—particularly those that divide traffic lanes or signal stop points—could be more serious.
About Freeman & Co.
Freeman & Co. are a specialist firm of road traffic and criminal defence solicitors based in Manchester but with nationwide coverage.
Freeman & Co. specialise in a wide variety of road traffic cases, ranging from drink driving, speeding and mobile phone offences, to name but a few.
The firm was created by Nick Freeman, who has been dubbed “Mr Loophole” by the press for his technical legal ability and robustly challenging the prosecution.
Nick is well regarded as an expert road traffic lawyer and has successfully represented many high profile clients for a variety of motoring offences as well as criminal offences.
The firm of Freeman & Co. embodies the way Nick works, with minute attention to detail and challenging the prosecution at every turn.
If you are facing a road traffic matter or criminal offence and need the services of Freeman & Co. please call on 0161 236 7007.
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Freeman & Co Solicitors
8 Oxford Court
Manchester
M2 3WQ
Tel. 0161 236 7007
