Suspension damage costs £1m per day, says warranty firm

Garages could see suspension repair work fall if Government proposals that could spell the end of speed humps in 20mph zones are introduced.

In plans unveiled last week, the Government called for more 20mph zones after research showed they reduced road casualties by more than 40%.

To aid the creation of more ‘go-slow’ zones, councils would be allowed to implement them without also having to back them up with traffic calming measures.

Warranty Direct welcomed the proposals and said they could help UK motorists save some of the “£1m a day” they spend on repairs to suspension and axle damage.

According to the firm, 6% of suspension damage can be traced back to the effect of traffic calming measures such as sleeping policemen as well as bad road surfaces and potholes.

Warranty Direct estimates that the average repair bill is £240, which equates to a potential £413m a year or £1.1m a day across Britain’s 28.2 million cars.

The company’s spokesman, Duncan McClure Fisher, said: “Speed humps are as much of a menace as potholes, and do much the same damage.

“It’s time for the Government to rely on the common sense and good driving manners of the majority of drivers, rather than punish everyone with big repair bills.”