Overview
- Polling of 1,693 licence holders found 16% reported a near‑miss with another vehicle due to worn or invisible lines.
- Nearly three quarters (72%) said road markings have deteriorated over the past five years.
- Drivers reported specific effects: 63% guessed lane positions, 38% ended up in the wrong lane, and 13% overshot a junction.
- Commonly faded features cited include centre carriageway lines (about half of drivers), arrows at roundabouts or junctions (48%), give way markings (44%), yellow boxes (43%), stop lines (41%) and painted speed limits (36%).
- Most motorists view fading lines as a safety risk (92%) and believe repainting would help (84%), and the RAC links the issue to its Report on Motoring ranking of hazards after potholes while noting no specific government repainting plan has been set out.