Vanishing act: vital road markings are rapidly disappearing from Britain’s roads

A fifth of drivers (21%) claim most road markings in their local areas have faded away, while a further seven-in-10 (71%) state some have, new RAC research has found.*

When asked whether they believe faded road markings are a recent problem, nearly three-quarters of those questioned (72%) said the issue has got worse in the last five years. Concerningly, 92% believe it’s made driving more dangerous. 

The most frequently cited markings that have disappeared are arguably some of the most important of all – the lines at the centre of carriageways that separate lanes of traffic, including solid single, double and broken white lines. Half (50%) of drivers stated these were the most commonly faded.

Almost half of drivers (48%) say arrows on roundabouts or junctions have faded to grey while 44% reported that ‘give way’ markings have vanished. Similar proportions claim the paint on yellow box markings (43%), stop lines at junctions (41%) and speed limit signs painted on the road (36%) have gone.

Other markings that drivers say have worn away to the detriment of road safety include areas of hatching (29%) (diagonal white lines separating lanes or protecting turning zones); bus or cycle lane markings (22%); zebra crossing stripes (24%); and cycle boxes/advanced stop lines at traffic lights (17%).

The consequences of the widespread disappearance of road markings range from drivers having to guess where lanes are (63%) to ending up in the wrong lane (38%). Almost a fifth (19%) say they’ve had a confrontation or been beeped by another road user as a result, while the same proportion (19%) have accidentally had to cut across lanes at short notice. Meanwhile 16% have had a near-miss and 13% have overshot a junction because they couldn’t see solid stop lines or ‘give way’ markings on the road. 

An overwhelming 84% of drivers believe that road safety in their areas would be improved if road markings were repainted, while 91% wish their local authority did a better job ensuring painted road markings are clearly visible.

Separate research carried out for the latest RAC Report on Motoring identified faded road markings and poor drainage as the joint second biggest safety dangers (38%) with roads themselves, second only to potholes (80%).**

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RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Drivers are widely reporting that road markings have been left to fade into obscurity, making roads less safe as a result. The problem appears to have got progressively worse as a majority of drivers say the visibility of markings has deteriorated in the last five years. And, while all painted lines are important to ensure drivers do the right thing, the fact some, such as those dividing lanes and even stop lines are disappearing, is troubling.

“While the Government has just published the country’s first road safety strategy in more than a decade, this is one key area that shouldn’t be forgotten. We urge them to work with councils to rectify this situation, as markings are painted onto the road for good reason: to keep drivers and other road users safe by clearly informing them of what they should and shouldn’t be doing.

“It’s frightening to think almost one-in-five of drivers have had a near-miss as a result of faded road markings and more than one-in-10 have overshot a junction. Leaving these most vital markings to just wear away makes no sense whatsoever. While there’s clearly a cost to maintaining them, the cost of letting them disappear doesn’t bear thinking about.”

^{* Research for the RAC Driver Opinion Panel carried out from 15-23 November 2025 with 1,693 respondents.}

^{** Research for the RAC Report on Motoring was carried out from 4-21 April 2025 by Online95; 2,395 drivers. Results rim-weighted to be nationally representative of UK motorists}