Navigating potholes

As the winter weather melts away, spring driving brings another obstacle for drivers to deal with – potholes. Repeated freezing and thawing can cause a road surface to crack and crumble, creating holes. Over a winter season, these holes can grow large enough to easily devour a wheel and tire and cause serious damage to your car.

Here are some tips to get you and your car through spring pothole season as safely as possible.

• Check your tire pressure monthly. Keeping proper tire pressure can greatly minimize pothole damage to your wheels and tires.
• Do not tailgate. Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you so that you are able to see a pothole in time to avoid it.
• Use caution when driving over a puddle of water. Water might be hiding a pothole.

If a pothole can't be avoided:

• Slow down. Damage to your car increases dramatically at higher speeds.
• Straighten your wheel. Hit the pothole squarely, not at an angle, and roll through.
• Let off the brakes. Less damage occurs when a tire is rolling than when it is skidding over a pothole during braking.