9th April 2018
How to prevent pothole damage
The Vasstech team is offering a free pothole check across all of our garages. No charge, just part of the Vasstech ethos, to keep everyone safe and sound on the road. Contact us today to book your free pothole check!
We’ve all seen them, we’ve all driven through them, they seem to remain apart of the road for months before they are fixed and some seem to spring up overnight. Springtime is pothole season, and they are a serious problem across the UK’s roads, causing motorists millions of pounds each year despite taxpayers paying for road maintenance. Here at Vasstech, we believe safe travel is the number 1 priority so here’s how to try and prevent pothole damages, keeping you safe and avoiding those expensive repairs.
No.1 Tyres
Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated at all times! Correctly inflated tyres can limit the damage potholes can cause. If the tyre pressure is too low the rubber does not hold its shape correctly, as the tyre comes into contact with the road this can cause the shoulder of the tyre to wear prematurely. If the tyre pressure is too high the area of the tyre that contacts the road surface is reduced, this concentrates the impact to a smaller proportion and therefore more likely to cause damage to the tyre.
No.2 Keep a safe distance
Keeping a safe distance apart from the driver in front of you is of course very important, but it can also reduce the change of pothole damages. By keeping a safe distance, you can see if drivers ahead are swerving to avoid any hazards in the road. Therefore, you can avoid the same hazard.
No.3 Driver over the pothole
Driving over the pothole is a sound strategy to implement, always ensure that the tyres are missing the actual pothole by lining up the centre of the car to the centre of the pothole. Of course, this is not always possible, especially if potholes are close to the edge of the road and there is oncoming traffic.
No.4 Don’t break
Make sure that you don’t put the brakes on when driving over the pothole unless it is totally necessary. The damage is not done driving into the pothole, but rather when you drive out of it, braking can cause wheel lock and increase the impact force of hitting the rim of the pothole, this potentially causes even more damage.
No.5 Hold the wheel correctly
Holding the wheel correctly the ‘10 to 2’ position ensures that you are in the best position to remain in control of the car’s direction should a sudden impact force the driver to correct. Make sure that your thumbs are not wrapped around the steering wheel but placed around the side.