Potholes and why you should avoid them

While being on the road requires more alertness compared to other day-to-day activities, driving also demands defensive strategies in order to avoid possible damage to you and your car.
Ever tried speeding up through a hole in a highway?
It might sound harmless in concept since it would seem like it is just another hump on the road, but don’t you know that one of the most common causes of defects or damages found in vehicles are due to mini road holes or potholes being driven through in almost every street?

Driving through holes can affect not just those parts directly exposed to the road (eg car tyres), but also those who are linked to its overall body structure.
And sad to say, some accidents do occur because of sudden turns and breaks just to avoid that single pothole.
In other words, your life and not just the whole system of your car is at risk.

Here are more practical reasons why you should avoid holes while driving:
Potholes are a source of numerous accidents, so drive carefully to avoid damages to your car — and yourself.
1. You may end up with a flat-tyre.

Too late to notice those potholes before driving through a street?
You might just get your car an instant flat-tyre.

2. It might reduce the stability of your car’s suspension system.
Constant bumping into holes could actually ruin the natural alignment of your tyres and eventually damage the car suspension system in the long run.

3. Unwanted expenses and trouble.
Precisely, after discovery of such damage/s to your most precious car, you are more than obliged to shell out unnecessary expenses at your personal cost.
Most car insurance companies don’t usually pay for incidents mainly caused by negligence.

4. WORST, potholes can cause you road accidents.
This is probably the worst scenario that could happen due to potholes along the road.
Abrupt turns and sudden stops could actually make or break your safety along the road and you might even crash into other vehicles just because of that sudden turn on your steering wheel.

Driving becomes much easier the moment you are aware and acquainted with the road you’re travelling.
So the next time that you’re going to hit the road, make sure you slow down carefully and skip that hole. Potholes cause premature damage to suspension and steering components. Tyres and rims can also be damaged by potholes.

Shocks and struts take the biggest brunt of the damage to start with.
They compress and expand using hydraulic oil to alleviate the effects of driving on uneven surfaces.
The bump is transferred to the vehicle; the extent of the bump travels from the tyre and wheel directly to the shock absorber. Large potholes can cause the shock or strut to bottom out within itself. The shock is then transferred to the coil or leaf spring of the vehicle.

In addition to these suspension components, control arms, ball joints, tie rods, idler arms, pitman arms, sway bar and sway bar links, centre and drag links, wheel bearings and axle shafts are all susceptible to pothole damage.

Because the steering and suspension components are compromised under duress, potholes are a leading contributor to a vehicle needing an alignment.
Under- or over-inflated tyres can be more easily damaged than one with proper inflation.
Rims can dent or crack from severe pothole strikes.

Long-term effects of damaged suspension or steering components can lead to premature tyre wear and poor handling of the vehicle. In severe cases of pothole damage, even lower engine damage and undercarriage components such as the exhaust system can be compromised.

How Potholes Form
l Potholes form when moisture seeps below the surface of the roads. The moisture freezes and expands or heats up and contracts, applying stress to the blacktop.
As the weight of vehicles continuously drive over these areas, small pieces of the blacktop start to chip away from the road.

The more traffic travelling on the road, including the types of vehicles, the more blacktop that chips away and then the larger the pothole becomes.
Road crews battle potholes in areas that experience severe winter months by patching the holes with cold patch. This fills the hole temporarily until weather permits road crews to repair the damage to the roads.

Avoiding Potholes
Leave enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. This allows you to see the oncoming pothole before striking it. Be aware of other traffic or pedestrians on the road before swerving to avoid a pothole.

Lower your speed on potholed roads. More damage can be incurred to a vehicle striking potholes at higher speeds, including compromised handling of the vehicle. Water-filled potholes do not allow you to see how large they are until you strike them. Don’t apply the brakes when driving over a pothole.