7 Tips to Avoid Costly Pothole Damage!

Bidvest Insurance outlines some of the top tips to help you avoid pothole damage. Potholes are an unavoidable part of your life as a driver. Motorists need to find ways to steer clear of them. All it takes is one pothole to get the better of you, deflating both your tyres and your budget. Read on to find out how you can avoid pothole damage.

The conditions of South Africa’s roads continue to feature across headlines as potholes plague our national road networks. While the government works to fix potholes and resolve other road hazards, some communities take matters into their own hands. Many communities have initiated programmes to fix potholes and prevent pothole damage from affecting their residents. 

A large portion of South Africa’s national road networks are outdated and in need of major repairs or upgrades. Our roads were not built to handle the amount of traffic that we experience nowadays. Road maintenance is a never-ending catch-up game. 

As most of us know, hitting a pothole can be costly. This expense is doubled, when a pothole takes out more than one tyre. 20% of our Tyre Insurance claims highlight that one pothole has damaged more than one tyre on our clients’ vehicles. 

Especially if the pothole takes out more than one tyre (as seen in 20% of our Tyre Insurance claims).Potholes are an unavoidable part of your life as a driver. Motorists need to find ways to steer clear of potholes. Here are some quick tips to help you avoid costly pothole damage:

Slow down

By slowing down, you’ll have the advantage of being more aware of what’s coming your way. You will have more time to react and safely navigate around a surprise pothole.

Furthermore, when you strike a pothole at a higher rate of speed, you increase the likelihood of causing severe damage to your care. When you’re driving at a slower speed, and you hit a pothole, your car is sure to sustain less damage. 

Keep your distance

Like Tip 1, this is about allowing yourself time to react. If you’re driving too close to the car in front of you, then you limit your ability to spot upcoming potholes. If you’ve kept sufficient distance and the driver in front of you hits the pothole, you’ll give yourself more time to react and avoid hitting the pothole.

Be aware of puddles

A neat trick that potholes like to do is disguise themselves as puddles of water. Make sure to pay attention and look out for puddles as there could be a pothole hiding below.

Both hands on the wheel

If you end up in a situation of an ‘unavoidable pothole’, make sure to have both hands on the wheel. You will be more able to maintain control of your car. If you only have one hand on the steering wheel, you are more likely to lose control of your car, and cause further damage. 

Don’t brake

An interesting tip is to brake before the pothole, and not in the pothole. When you brake, pressure is placed downward onto the front of your car, causing the front wheels to dig into the pothole. It is best to slow down before the pothole and then coast over it.

Inflate your tyres

Tyres inflated to the correct pressure will have more resistance when hitting a pothole than an under-inflated tyre. Properly inflated tyres will give your car further protection against the hazards of potholes. 

Inspect your tyres

Make sure the tread on your tyres is of roadworthy condition. A worn tyre is far more likely to sustain extensive damage, caused by hitting a pothole. A new set of tyres will have roughly 8 millimetres of tread on the surface. The lowest tread depth allowed by law in South Africa is 1.6 millimetres.

While these tips are incredibly helpful and will likely reduce pothole damage to your car, all it takes is one pothole to get the better of you, deflating both your tyres and your budget. 

Protect your tyres and your budget with Tyre Insurance from Bidvest Insurance. Get Tyre Insurance now.

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