The Plague Of The Potholes

Damages caused by potholes extend from just cars and trucks.

Potholes. Everyone hates them. They damage your vehicles, they cause a hassle in your life, and they continue to be an issue in our area. Recent attention to potholes has caused government entities to blame one another on who is responsible, and it even leads to the state’s voters to pass one of the most significant bond issues in the history of the state designated to fixing our infrastructure.

As I drove around a few potholes this morning on my way to work, I began to wonder what chaos potholes cause. Other than the alignment issues and flat tires that they cause, what is the actual cost of potholes on residents in our area and what else do potholes lead too. I began my search on Google.

Potholes are here to stay, unfortunately.

One of the items of interest I came upon was an opinion piece in the Preston County Newspaper that quotes the local Division of Highways engineer, Donnie Williams, as saying that that time between each road resurfacing (or paving) has been increased over time due to lack of funding. What that means is that roads will deteriorate more and more each season before they are addressed. That not only leaves motorists steaming, but can cause so much more damage to families of our region than most would even think about.

Potholes affect drivers and can lead to actual injury claims.

Potholes cause accidents. That’s right, you may not realize it as you are dodging them on your way to the store, but those giant holes in the pavement can lead to severe accidents. We have seen it time and again, cars dodging potholes and drivers getting distracted resulting to head on collisions. Cars can hit potholes so hard that they are jerked into the right of way of another vehicle causing them to crash. Let’s not even get started on the dangers of potholes to motorcycle riders.

Pothole.info, yes, that is a website, reports that not only are car accidents caused by potholes, but also slip and fall claims as well. Time and time again, pedestrians are tripping and falling on huge gaping holes in the pavement creating medical claims that cost thousands and thousands of dollars.

Potholes cost everyone money, including insurance companies.

How does this affect the public? While other than the costs to get a car fixed, accident claims due to potholes also create a burden for taxpayers who have to not only pay for the potential claims through local governments but also pay to have the holes fixed either way. You can report a pothole on your street to the DOH by clicking here.

So the next time you are driving or walking on pothole-infested streets, keep in mind that other dangers lurk beside the common busted tires and rims.