How To Avoid Damage From Potholes

Potholes are a danger to you and your car — they can easily cause severe vehicle damage or an accident. You can adjust your driving tactics to avoid or at least limit the damage inflicted by potholes, but first you must know how they form and what to look for.

Where Do Potholes Come From?

Water expands when it freezes, and this is essentially the scientific reason behind why potholes form. Excess moisture pools underneath the pavement, and low temperatures cause the water to freeze and expand, putting pressure on the asphalt and creating cracks and frost heaves. Once the pavement gives way under pressure and crumbles, a pothole is what is left behind.

Prepare Your Vehicle

You might not be able to control how often road crews repair your streets after a long, freezing winter, but you can keep your vehicle in prime condition to handle any obstacles, including potholes.

First, make sure all your tires are fully inflated. Over- or under-inflated tires are more susceptible to popping when they come in contact with a pothole.

You also should have a mechanic examine your suspension and steering systems to make sure your shocks, struts and brakes are tuned up and able to absorb impact effectively.

How to Drive Over a Pothole

Don’t listen to people who tell you to speed up or slow down when driving over a pothole — they’re all wrong. Driving fast does nothing to cushion the blow. You should slow down, but not right when you hit the pothole. Slowly begin to brake before you reach the pothole, but take your foot off the brake as your wheels roll over it.

Always keep your steering wheel straight as you drive over a pothole. Trying to steer around the pothole is your best bet to completely avoid damage to your vehicle, but this is not always possible.

If you keep your tires straight as you roll over the pothole, your car can absorb the impact more evenly. Coming onto the pothole at an angle is more likely to cause harm to your vehicle’s suspension. 

You don’t want to have to call a tow truck due to a run-in with a pothole, but if you are stranded and need towing assistance, know that Stauffer’s Towing is on call to help you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.