One of the most bothersome legacies of winter weather that a wide swath of the U.S. is encountering this week is a preponderance of potholes. Those roadway cavities, caused most often by seasonal freeze-thaw cycles and/or heavy rains, can make even the smoothest-riding luxury car jump and jolt like a Jeep Wrangler traversing a rock-strewn trail.
Worse, the AAA says potholes are responsible for $3 billion annually in vehicle damage. This includes blown tires, bent and/or misaligned wheels and both suspension and undercarriage damage from coming up too quickly on what are often hard-to-spot pavement irregularities. The term is said to date back to the Roman Empire when potters without the means to purchase clay would excavate divots from the era’s clay-surfaced roads.
In modern times, a pothole is roadway damage that occurs when water seeps through the pavement and weakens the underlying soil. This in turn causes cracks that are exacerbated by cars and trucks and soon become deep divots. They’re especially prevalent on areas with dense traffic and with poor drainage, like dips in the road and passages under viaducts. Heavy trucks traversing residential and rural roads that were not originally engineered to support the weight of multiple-axle big-rigs can likewise accelerate pavement damage.
While potholes are most often associated with northern climates, those living in more-temperate regions can encounter them as well. The Los Angeles Times reports that crews have repaired thousands of potholes that formed as a result of the city’s rainiest period in 58 years. In this case they occur when traffic pushes rainwater into the pavement’s surface and sub-surface, making the road susceptible to cracks that later expand into full-blown potholes.
Low-slung sports cars and vehicles with oversized tires are especially prone to suffer pothole damage.
Fortunately, as hitting a pothole can be considered a single-vehicle accident, the Insurance Information Institute says damage caused by pitted pavement falls under the provisions of an auto insurance policy’s collision coverage, which is typically subject to a deductible of $250 or more. If encountering a pothole causes a loss of control and results in a crash with another vehicle (or a pedestrian), the other party’s damages would be applicable to a policy’s liability coverage, which is mandatory in every U.S. state with the exception of New Hampshire.
In addition, some major U.S. cities like New York and Chicago that are known for their pothole problems allow residents to claim limited compensation for related repairs.
To help avoid vehicular damage in the weeks ahead, auto safety experts offer these helpful pothole survival tips:
- Scan the road ahead for potholes and if it’s safe to do so, drive around them, or at the least slow down if encountering them is inevitable. A vehicle will potentially suffer less damage if it’s hitting a hole in the road at a lower rate of speed.
- Leave extra space between your car and the vehicle ahead to better be able to spot and maneuver around potholes in your path. This is especially important at night when visibility is compromised.
- Avoid braking abruptly when driving over a pothole as doing so will compress the vehicle’s suspension and add extra force to the tire.
- Beware of “hidden” potholes that are filled with rain or light debris. They tend to blend in with the rest of the pavement, making them both hard to spot and difficult to judge in terms of depth. Proceed with caution when driving over standing water or puddles.
- Make mental notes of potholes along a frequent driving route to best be able to anticipate their locations and avoid hitting them.
- Keep a watchful eye on the vehicle’s tires. Hitting a pothole with worn or underinflated tires can present a greater risk of incurring wheel or suspension damage. Be sure to keep them inflated according to the automaker’s recommended air-pressure levels, which is noted on a label affixed to the driver’s side doorjamb and in the owner’s manual. Have them rotated every 5,000-7,500 miles to ensure even wear.
Since hitting a pothole can be virtually inevitable at one time or another, the Car Care Council suggests watching out for signs of damage that can lead to more serious problems down the road if ignored, including:
- A loss of control, including swaying during turns, scraping a car’s undercarriage on city streets or bouncing excessively over rough roads.
- Pulling in one direction instead of maintaining a straight path while accelerating or braking.
- Uneven tire wear, low tire pressure, sidewall bulges or blisters and dents in wheel rims.
