Hitting a Road Pothole: Is It Really That Big of a Deal?
Driving over potholes might seem like a normal part of driving, but it can do some real damage to your car.
Written by Andrew Koole
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Depending on where you live, dodging
potholes
while driving can be a daily occurrence. Areas with rough winter conditions can have especially bad roads, thanks to all the erosion caused by freezing rain, snow, and salt. But maneuvering around potholes can’t feel like a hazard of its own sometimes. Does it really make sense to veer around these divots or are you just increasing your chance of getting into a car accident?
While
Jerry
obviously doesn’t want you to drive erratically, avoiding potholes turns out to be more important than you might think. There are a number of ways that hitting one can cause car damage
. Problems caused by road potholes
No matter how intent you are on avoiding them, you’ve probably hit a pothole or two in your life. You’ve felt your tire plunk down like it met an inverted speed bump, and felt the anxious sweat on your forehead afterward.
Hitting a pothole doesn’t guarantee damage to your car, but the danger is definitely there. Popped tires and damaged wheels are the most obvious car parts at risk.
But depending on the car and the depth of the hole, it can also weaken your suspension, scratch or dent your body and undercarriage, and damage your exhaust system.
Damage to your exhaust system can cause carbon dioxide to enter the cabin of your car—a potentially extremely dangerous situation.
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How to safely drive around road potholes
You want to avoid potholes as much as possible. But you also want to avoid veering into oncoming traffic or driving recklessly. A few key safe driving tactics will help you do both.
First off, stay alert and keep a close eye out for potholes or road conditions that could indicate hidden potholes like large puddles and icy spots.
Secondly, avoid tailgating. Creating sufficient space between you and the vehicle in front of you will give you more time to see and react to oncoming potholes.
When actually avoiding potholes, do so carefully. Change lanes if one is available and always be on the lookout for other road users, whether they be other drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians.
If you can’t avoid a pothole, don’t hit the brakes. You want to slow down as much as possible, but braking while on top of a pothole can do more harm than good. Just hold tightly onto your steering wheel and try to move over it as if it was any other part of the road.
Insurance coverage for damage caused by potholes
MORE: How Falling Leaves Can Damage Your Car
Regular liability coverage won’t cover you for situations related to potholes unless it involves another vehicle. If you damage your vehicle from a pothole, you’ll need
collision coverage
.Collision coverage pays for repairs to your vehicle if it ends up in a collision with another car or an object. Average rates are $290 a year.
For cheap rates on collision coverage and any other type of
car insurance
, shop with Jerry. A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price.
This level of service is why Jerry earned a 4.6/5 rating on the App Store and made it the top insurance app in the country.
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