In the UK, a pothole damage claim is received by local authorities every 17 minutes.
So says Ford, which wants to create a 'virtual pothole map' that could be beamed to drivers in real-time so they can avoid damage to their vehicles.
According to the US carmaker, the situation is only going to get worse, as freezing temperatures have hit Europe this winter . It says that bad road surfaces contribute to more than a third of accidents each year.
“A virtual pothole map could highlight a new pothole the minute it appears and almost immediately warn other drivers that there is a hazard ahead,” said Uwe Hoffmann, a research engineer at the Advanced Chassis Control Technologies department at Ford of Europe.
“Our cars already feature sensors that detect potholes and now we are looking at taking this to the next level.”
Engineers at the company are researching the use of cameras and embedded modems, at the Ford Research and Innovation Centre, in Aachen, Germany.
Ford says these technologies will gather detailed information on the potholes and beam it to the cloud – where it can be made available to other drivers – in real time.
The car maker is striding ahead with advances in automotive technology.
Ford has announced it will have a self-driving car ready for commercial operation by 2021 - and it won't have a steering wheel or pedals.
"The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford's moving assembly line did 100 years ago," said Mark Fields, Ford president and chief executive.
"We're dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles."
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