Protect your vehicle from potholes

Do you know how to protect your vehicle from potholes?

One of the biggest irritations for motorists and one of the most damaging to cars is the dreaded pothole.

Every day, South African motorists face the risk of tyre and rim damage caused by potholes, damaged roads and road construction which will set you back financially.

The reality is that no matter how careful you are, as a motorist, you can’t avoid potholes entirely, and with the recent spell of heavy rains in certain parts of the country, you can expect potholes to be around for some time.

In light of this, here are a few essential tips from Beame, South African vehicle tracking and recovery brand, that you can use while driving to help you steer clear of potholes and avoid those hefty repair bills:

• During pothole season it’s important to maintain a good tyre pressure at all times, in line with your car manufacturer’s recommendation. A low tyre pressure can affect your braking, steering and handling, which can all reduce the overall performance of your vehicle, particularly while trying to steer clear of potholes
• In wet weather conditions, it is advisable that you slow down on the roads as these conditions often result in an increased amount of accidents. Not only this, but so too does it reduce visibility, which makes it difficult for motorists to spot potholes on the roads
• A great way to avoid potential pothole damage is to be aware of your surroundings and more especially traffic patterns. If you notice that a vehicle in front of you is suddenly veering in a different direction on the road, chances are it might be avoiding a pothole
• Slow down when approaching a pothole as you can never have a clear vision of how deep that particular one is. By slowing down you are also able to increase your response time in the event that you need to manoeuvre to avoid hitting one
• If the car driving in front of you suddenly brakes to avoid an unexpected pothole, there should be enough space between your vehicles to avoid a rear-end collision. Therefore, keep a safe following distance of two to three seconds, and five to six in bad weather conditions.

If you do find yourself having to repair your vehicle as a result of pothole damage, you can lodge a claim with your relevant municipality who will then refund you for the repairs accordingly.

Read: How to claim for pothole damage to your car

However, if you want to save time, money and proactively insure your vehicle against such incidents, you might also want to consider finding out which companies offer such services, helping you relieve the financial burden of getting your tyre, mags and rims repaired.

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