Lack of investment has left the UK system in chaos, the AA says

A study by the association showed that for every �1 collected in the UK in motoring tax, just 20p is spent on roads and transport.

The study comes just as UK drivers are facing up to the prospect of a 5p increase in the cost of a gallon of petrol or diesel.

The government announced the rise last week, after deferring the introduction of the fuel tax since the last budget.

But the AA survey found that in Japan more is spent on transport than is collected in tax, while the US spends the equivalent of what it collects.

The AA, and opinion research company MORI, polled 12,000 drivers in the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, America, Japan and Spain for the survey.

A total of 1,300 respondents were from the UK.

Other countries that fared better than the UK in transport spending to tax collection ratios included France where the ratio was two to one - twice as much taken in tax as spent on transport - and Spain at four to one.

'Crisis'

AA director John Dawson said: "Our transport system is in chaos because of years of a chronic lack of investment.

"The crisis is deepening: the level of money being spent, at less than a fifth of what is collected in tax, is pitifully low compared with other major world economies.

Our transport system is in chaos because of years of a chronic lack of investment John Dawson AA

"The government's 10-year transport plan, launched more than three years ago, promised investment to put things right after a generation of run down.

Now fuel taxes are rising again, before motorists have seen any improvements."

The research also found traffic flows on UK motorways were 50% higher than in Germany, despite Britain having a lower level of car ownership.

UK traffic flows were also almost twice as high as those in Japan and the US.

Mr Dawson added: "Here in Britain, where second car ownership is among the lowest of the major world economies, our vehicles are made to work much harder, covering an average 9,600 miles each (each year) - the highest per vehicle in Europe."

By contrast, the number of vehicles in the US already outnumbers the adult population.