Motorists Spend Nearly $4.8 Billion Each Year To Repair Damage From Run-ins With Potholes
They are big, bad, bowl-shaped, ugly and costly when your car hits one, which is easier to do these days. They are gaping potholes of the car-swallowing kind. Although they normally crop up when springtime approaches, potholes are already the bane of existence for metro area motorists, who are navigating around huge mounds of frozen ice and coping with streets and roads still constricted by unplowed and under-plowed snow.
Blame these woes on the historic, record-breaking back-to-back snowstorms, which turned the local landscape into frozen tundra and spawned the worst outbreak of potholes in recent memory. Like the line from the movie Gremlin 2, “You get them wet, they’ll multiply…”
“Potholes are not only vexing and nerve-rattling to motorists, they are also a significant threat to the safety of motorists and pedestrians,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Hitting a pothole can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles possibly resulting in a crash and swerving to avoid a pothole can be just as dangerous.”
Potholes cause a litany of woes for motorists, ranging from lost hubcaps, warped wheel alignment, damaged tires, fractured undercarriages, bent axles, smashed mufflers, out of shape shocks, and rattled nerves. Hitting a pothole at high speed increases the chance of damage to tires, wheels, shocks, struts or spring, warns AAA Mid-Atlantic Automotive Services. The automotive club provides motorists the following safety tips when they encounter a pothole:
- Keep an eye on traffic patterns. Cars that slow down or move quickly to other lanes may be a sign of major potholes or road damage ahead.
- Beware of snow, ice or water that may be concealing a deep pothole.
- · Report major potholes or road damage to your state, or local transportation department
- Avoid swerving. Swerving can cause a loss of vehicle control
- Slow down. Carefully avoid sharp impact with potholes.
- Roll through. Rolling through the pothole is better than braking rapidly.
- Inflate tires properly. Over inflated and under inflated tires increase risk of tire and wheel damage.
Potholes also drain the pocketbooks and wallets of the vehicle owner, the auto club notes. Costs for repairing damage caused by potholes can range from $50 for a simple wheel alignment to $500 or more for replacing a top-of-the-line alloy wheel. In some cases—damage for poor road conditions can add up to $2,000 or more in repair costs over the life of a car, insurance agents say.
Compounding matters, vehicle suspension and steering components may also be affected. About 500,000 auto insurance claims are filed each year for pothole damage, according to the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA).
The group estimates “Nearly $4.8 billion is spent each year to repair damage to Americans’ cars resulting from run-ins with potholes, utility cuts and other dangerous road conditions.” And much of that comes straight out of consumer’s pockets, the group says. Motorists in pothole-prone areas should understand the need for proper collision coverage in order to avoid costly repairs, some insurance agents contend. But that might be bad advice, warns AAA Mid-Atlantic.
“Depending upon the amount of the damages and the deductible you have, it may not be wise to file a claim for the damages,” advises Heather Foti, an insurance counselor with the Mid-Atlantic Insurance Group. “Filing a claim for pothole damage may impact future auto insurance rates,” she warns.
“Hitting even one especially severe pothole could alter the alignment of a wheel and cause uneven tire wear,” notes Jeffrey Boone, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Car Doctor. “Uneven tire wear means the tire will need to be replaced sooner than necessary, causing a needless expense,” explains Boone, an ASE Master Technician with AAA Mid-Atlantic Automotive Services.
“A broken shock or strut from a pothole encounter could alter the steering and handling of a vehicle, and create dangers when driving at higher speeds or in tight corners,” Boone adds. “Broken suspension components should be remedied immediately.” AAA recommends that motorists who suspect their vehicle may have been damaged by a pothole should take it to a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility where it can be carefully inspected, and serviced if necessary.
What causes potholes? Normally, potholes are spawned in the aftermath of winter’s freeze-thaw cycles, which includes rain and snow. As spring approaches, they seem to pop up overnight like gremlins. Potholes stem from road salt seeping into cracks in the surface of the road. When that’s combined with the vibration of car tires over the cracks, it causes the asphalt to weaken.