What irritates you the most while driving on the road? Poor road conditions where there are plenty of potholes is a common thing to hate. Houston, Texas certainly has lots of potholes, approximately 50,000 are found every year.
Whether you drive a sedan, a truck, or even ride a motorcycle or a bike, potholes are really annoying and have driven many drivers crazy. Apart from shaking your vehicle when you run over them, they can also cause serious damages to your car. All those damages could lead your car to meet an accident or stall when you least expect it.
If potholes are that dangerous, what should you do the next time you see them? And what are the possible dangers of running over them? We’ll answer all those questions below.
Here and there, you’d see potholes in the streets of Houston. This pothole problem is admittedly continuous and ongoing but the government tries to solve them by filling up potholes every day. There is a pothole tracker website that can greatly help drivers to be warned about such roadside dangers.
During the spring and winter seasons, you could expect to see more potholes created due to the presence of snow and rain. Usually, those older areas have substructures that react poorly to the seeped water. As the vehicles run over them, the pavement disappears and a hole is formed.
The best way to remedy the pothole problem is to have them filled in. The government is already doing that but more potholes are still developing. As a result, drivers should know what to do when they find a pothole on the road.
Drivers should keep an eye out for potholes. Looking ahead and noticing such craters will help you know that they are there. That will prevent you from accidentally running over them, especially at fast speeds.
Potholes can pop out overnight so the best defense here is to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. Those that drive cars with low tire pressure are more likely to develop tire bulges and other damages to the side of the tires. Proper tire maintenance involves checking regularly checking tire pressure to keep you safe.
Evading the potholes is also another good option. However, before you do that, make sure that you are fully aware of the traffic around you. You don’t want to evade a pothole but end up crashing with another vehicle in the process. Use your mirrors and do it at slower speeds as well.
Sometimes, you simply cannot avoid the pothole. If this is the case, the only thing you can do is to drive with the steering wheel straight. Make sure that your speed is slow so you can carefully drive through the pothole. Allow the tire to roll over the pothole and don’t run over them at full speed.
If you’ve driven over potholes, make sure to check for any damages afterward. In case you hear a loud thump when you run over them, then you definitely need a mechanic to check your vehicle. They could assess the problem and correct it. It is better to be sure than to risk it and have the car stalled on the road just because you hit a pothole.
Potholes could have sharp edges that could puncture the tires and cause a blowout of holes in the tires immediately. When this happens, you could lose control of your vehicle and would need immediate roadside assistance.
Sometimes, the puncture isn’t that big to cause a rapid blowout. However, it could still damage the tires and gradually let out the air. It may go undetected until you already have a flat tire that needs to be replaced.
The force caused by running over the pothole could also affect the alignment of the wheels. For this reason, the tires should be properly assessed because if the misalignment is not corrected, it can be dangerous to drive the vehicle.
When the wheel alignment is off, the car would be unbalanced. That leads to faster wear and tear of some of the tires as compared to the others. Some signs to watch out for are the pulling or dragging of the car to one side, squealing noises at lower speeds, and vibrating steering wheel.
There can also be damage to the springs, shock absorbers, and links. The suspension system connects to the wheels and is there to make the ride smoother. When there is a compromised suspension system, the car can be more difficult to handle.
Deeper potholes could also cause damage to the exhaust system. With deep potholes, it could scrape the ground. That should be carefully checked because of potential exposure of the passengers to carbon monoxide inhalation and engine damage as well.
In the unfortunate event that you’ve accidentally driver over one of Houston, Texas’ many potholes and find your car having problems, immediate help can be provided by Bliss Towing Service. Dial the number and ask for roadside assistance…
