Use AI to solve Britain’s £5.5billion pothole crisis, says Citroen
Citroen has published a "Better Roads Manifesto" urging wider use of artificial intelligence to tackle Britain's pothole crisis, calling on councils to deploy AI-powered technology to inspect roads, cut costs and target repairs more effectively. The French carmaker argues that fixing the country's damaged road network could unlock at least £5.5billion in savings by cutting accidents and improving efficiency, adding pressure on national and local government to act as poor road conditions continue to cause safety and financial concerns.
The manifesto, developed with highways engineer Dave Gaster, sets out six recommendations, including tougher oversight of utility companies to ensure roads are properly reinstated after excavation works, a rolling five-year government funding settlement, and a national road repair standard for consistency. Department for Transport data shows road defects contribute to 6% of fatal or serious collisions, with crashes costing society £54.7billion a year, meaning eliminating pothole-related accidents could save around £3.3billion; the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation estimates longer-term funding could save a further £2.2billion. Citroen UK managing director Greg Taylor said the proposals offer "practical, cost-effective and logical steps" rather than simply demanding more funding.
- Citroen urges AI-led road inspections to tackle Britain's pothole crisis
- Fixing roads could save at least £5.5billion, carmaker claims
- Manifesto also calls for stricter utility firm oversight and five-year funding
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates of the AI-monitoring proposal argue that Britain's roads are deteriorating faster than councils can inspect them manually, so automated detection using dashcams or fleet vehicles offers a scalable, low-cost way to catch defects before they worsen and cause accidents or vehicle damage. They contend that pairing this with tougher enforcement on utility companies addresses a genuine cause of poor road surfaces, since substandard reinstatement after excavation works is a well-documented contributor to potholes, and holding those firms to higher standards is simply fair accountability for damage they cause.
The case against
Sceptics, including some local authority and road-safety voices, might argue that better detection technology does nothing to solve the underlying problem, which is chronic underfunding of road maintenance budgets, so investing in AI systems risks becoming a costly distraction rather than fixing the deeper issue. They may also note that a car manufacturer proposing solutions to road quality has a commercial interest in AI-equipped vehicles and connected services, and that imposing stricter oversight on utility companies could raise costs that are ultimately passed on to consumers through utility bills without guaranteeing faster or better repairs.