War declared on potholes as insurance claims soar

The scourge of pothole-related insurance claims continue to climb at alarming rates, alluding to new ones forming every day.

This is the view of insurance firm Dialdirect, which reported a 15% increase in pothole-related accident claims this year alone, and a 9% uptake in tyre damage claims when compared to the same time last year.

Soaring pothole claims

More alarmingly, the agency stated that 76% of the mentioned claims involved vehicles having been declared “undriveable” after an encounter with a pothole, due to the extent of the damage having been too severe.

Out of the cities responsible for the most pothole related claims, Pietermaritzburg topped the list with 21%, followed by Pretoria (20%), Potchefstroom (17%), Bloemfontein (15%), Johannesburg (14%), and Durban (13%). 

“Dodging potholes has fast become a professional sport, but doing so can, and sometimes does, result in car accidents,” Dialdirect’s Head of Insurance Anneli Retief said in a statement.

“Even if hitting a pothole doesn’t cause an accident, the damage is immense.

“One bad patch of road could lead to punctures, tyre bulges, bad wheel alignment and balancing, uneven tyre wear, cracked rims, damaged undercarriage, damaged tyre walls, and blowouts”.

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Losing the pothole war?

According to Retief, around 25 million potholes – 10 million more than five years ago – are littered across the country’s roads.

On more than a few occasions, motorists have been observed driving next to the road as a result of the compact gravel surface being in a better condition than the actual tar surface itself.

“Although our jointly sponsored pothole fixing initiative in Johannesburg, the Pothole Patrol, is making a considerable dent in ridding Johannesburg of potholes, more needs to be done to protect motorists and fill the gap in other provinces,” Retief said.

Earlier this year, the Pothole Patrol initiative, a collaborative effort involving the City of Johannesburg, Dialdirect and Discovery, had repaired more than 100 000 potholes across the city since May 2021.

“The Pothole Patrol continues to receive an influx of reports via our app. Unfortunately, we have noted repeated damage reports for certain areas, and this is often caused by underlying water damage,” Discovery Insure CEO Anton Ossip said last year.

As a means of avoiding damage, Dialdirect has urged to motorists to refrain from overloading, identify areas common for the developing of potholes, and to slow down, especially in wet conditions, to avoid excessive damage.

It has also pleaded with drivers not to fit low-profile wheels or lower the vehicle’s ride height, to always keep an emergency kit on-board, and to immediately stop, switch the hazard lights on and phone emergency services and one’s insurer after an encounter with a pothole.