Google is preparing to tackle the scourge of drivers and cyclists the world over after being granted a patent for technology that will help road users to avoid potholes.
The device will use shock sensors and GPS to map the location of uneven road surfaces. This information will be fed into a central server that will produce road quality reports and suggest a smoother route for travellers.
The information could be passed to local authorities and highways agencies to identify stretches of road that need to be repaired.
The technology could also be useful for Google’s plans for driverless vehicles by enabling them to avoid potholes.
In the UK potholes are estimated to cost motorists about £730 million every year in damage to their vehicles, while on average a pothole is estimated to cost about £50 to fix. Potholes are often created when water seeps into cracks in the road surface and freezes, causing it to fracture and break apart. They are also caused by heat and general wear and tear in the road surface.
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A stretch of road in Oxfordshire was described as the worst for potholes in the county for the second year in a row yesterday.
Potholes on the B4526 between Goring and Cane End left the council paying £7,758.96 compensation to drivers between April 2014 and March 2015 for damage to their cars.
The council said that repairs to prevent potholes on the road would cost £6.4 million.
It said in a statement: “Reducing the number of potholes is a national problem, not a local problem. We are similar to most authorities and managing a road network without as much funding as we would like.”