Avoiding Damage to Your Car: 5 Reasons Why It’s Not a Good Idea to Drive over Potholes


You can’t claim to be an experienced motorist if you’ve got no idea how much of a menace potholes are. Potholes are on every road and even though the relevant authorities keep patching them, the damage they cause is paining. And though we can’t say they are the biggest hazards on the road, the fact that they inherently spoil an otherwise smooth driving experience means no one should take potholes lightly.

Their damage isn’t restricted to cars alone!

According to ABC News, there’s no difference between a car bumping into a pothole and subjecting it to a crash of 35mph. Such powerful force, of course, will seriously damage both the passengers on it and the vehicle itself.
Every single year, motorists in the US fork out as much as $300 per person to fix problems caused by potholes on their cars. This, according to YourMechanic.com, means that the whole country wastes a massive $3 billion; an amount they could have placed in better use.

Reasons why driving over potholes isn’t a good idea

If you value your ride, then never drive over potholes, regardless of how hesitant you are in or how few these nightmares are. Aside from the fact that they will cost you the comfort of driving in peace, potholes are downright annoying. And the worst you can do is to race over them, perhaps because you hate driving slowly.
These are perhaps the reasons why you should heed my advice:

  1. Driving over potholes wears the car out faster than anything else. They cut short its lifespan, and if you don’t watch it, you’ll eventually dump it at the junkyard.

  2. Repairs are expensive and will most certainly consume your valuable time.

  3. Drivers who drive over them aren’t new to punctures and replacing the tires frequently. Of course, they spend a lot more than what an ordinary, cautious driver does.

  4. With the car developing endless alignment and suspension issues, you might never feel comfortable on your car again. You will constantly struggle to keep the steering wheel straight not to mention the incessantly unpleasant sounds as you drive.

  5. Finally, there’s the risk of causing an accident because of mechanical issues.

Avoiding potholes is impossible, sometimes

Not all potholes are visible, especially at night. Potholes are ubiquitous and, as any seasoned driver or even your beloved Certified Car Clinic would tell you, the most important thing is to know how to handle them.
First, ensure that your car’s tires are well inflated and its suspension system is working perfectly. Over-inflating them is just as bad as driving on flat tires.
Second, just try to drive carefully and with the knowledge that some could be lurking in areas you can’t see like water pools and puddles. Use a smooth road or if it’s a common route, do not tailgate. And if it is absolutely impossible to avoid potholes, drive slowly and judge the depth of the damn thing before making any other move.
Also, as you drive gracefully over it, just try to maintain a firm grip on the wheel and descend on the pothole directly and with precision. The worst you can do is to brake abruptly and still hit the pothole because you will automatically double the amount of damage on your car.


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