The do’s and dont's of driving with potholes
As the winter weather slowly 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, and as inexpensively, as possible.
- Do 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 beforehand.
- Do slow down. If a pothole can’t be avoided, slow down as much as possible. Damage to your car increases dramatically at higher speeds.
- Do not hit your brakes. Let off the brakes right before you hit the pothole. Less damage occurs when a tire is rolling than when it is skidding over a pothole during braking.
- Do keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. Hitting a pothole with a firm grip will help you to maintain control of your vehicle.
