Accident numbers are particularly high this year, due to this February's snows.
Poor road maintenance is leading to record rates of pothole-related road accidents and is putting pressure on car insurance premiums, according to a top provider.
AA Insurance, which released the new report, said that the nation's roads are suffering from an "epidemic" of potholes following the cold winter weather. Claim figures from the firm show that 2,000 drivers suffered accidents in February, up from 700 in February 2008.
The car insurance provider also pointed out that many thousands more motorists are likely to have suffered minor damage on their vehicle due to potholes, but subsequently did not bother to file a car insurance claim.
Unusually icy conditions over the period - which saw London under 20cm of snow at one point - are thought to have boosted the accident numbers. Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: "Like any injury, a pothole that doesn't receive first aid will brood and grow into a gaping open sore on the road, inflicting damage to wheels, suspension and bodywork. Worse than that, they often become invisible by filling up with water in wet weather so you have little chance of avoiding them."
The AA estimates that there are around 1.5 million potholes on UK roads at the moment.
