10 February 2024 , 16:00
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Potholes are a nightmare for any driver. They can do some serious damage to your vehicle - which in turn costs a fortune to fix. But there is a way to avoid them, saving you thousands.
The months of January through to March are considered 'pothole season' - when rain water gets into cracks, freezes and expands, causing the road to split and break apart.
The most common types of damage caused by potholes include the loss of a hubcap, a damaged tire, a bent or broken wheel, wheels knocked out of alignment, damaged suspension components, bent steering parts, and damaged shock absorbers - all of which can lead to a hefty bill.
But Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, has shared a top tip to help avoid these problem areas on the road.
He told the Express: "Apps like Waze, an alternative to software like Google Maps, don't just help you navigate to a location, they also let you warn other road users about potential hazards ahead – including potholes.
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"The community of 'Wazers' mark precisely where they've just encountered a pothole in the hope that others following behind might be able to avoid it. It's the brilliant thing about an automotive hive mind – you get a real insight into what’s up ahead. The information is also bang up to date, with pothole reports that have not been 'confirmed' by other Wazers typically disappearing after 48 hours."
"If you're driving along with the app open and you hear 'Watch out! Pothole reported ahead!' you can then modify your speed accordingly, and prepare to take evasive action when you eventually encounter the road crater. It's not just Waze that provides this service, other infotainment systems from manufacturer's like Mercedes-Benz and Skoda can also provide information about impending potholes."
He concluded by advising motorists to keep these apps open for every journey. so that you get an early pothole warning long before your front wheel finds it - potentially saving you hundreds of pounds at your local garage.
It comes after one driver won more than £1million in compensation after they hit a pothole. After a four-year legal battle, the motorist has won a massive £1,188,565.25 for a "pothole-caused personal injury".
It might be the largest payout of its kind, and campaigners have warned that it reflects the dire state of the UK's roads as the RAC cautioned this winter created the "perfect recipe" for more pothole to pepper the country's roads.
The payout was made by the Labour-run Welsh Government which is responsible for maintaining larger trunk roads nationwide across Wales.
The unnamed driver was injured in the pothole accident in 2018-19 and the compensation was finally paid out four years later.
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