That's the finding of the RAC's 2011 Report on Motoring, which reveals that more than three-quarters (76%) of fleet motorists feel they continue to be treated as a cash cow by the Government despite the Secretary of State's pledge to 'end the war on the motorist'.

And while the cost of driving is the most pressing concern for fleet drivers, the quality and maintenance of roads in the UK comes a close second. A total of 81% believe that the condition of motorways and other main roads is getting noticeably worse and consider the problem to be even greater on local roads (94%).

The research also shows that business drivers would like to see their money invested in areas that affect their immediate motoring environment than national improvement schemes. A total of 81% want to see more motoring taxes reinvested into local roads. Another top priority is the maintenance of existing motorways. Developments such as additional airport capacity and a high-speed rail network connecting London and the north are among the least significant.    

Martin Quail, head of corporate partnerships at RAC, commented: 'As a result of these findings, we are calling for Government to create a national framework to ensure local authorities maintain similar roads to the same consistent standards. We recommend long-term repairs of pot holes using government funding to best effect as compared to short-term solutions, which fail in the next cold spell.'