South African drivers are familiar with the scenario of driving home after a day or a couple of heavy rain and then hitting a pothole.
South African drivers are familiar with the scenario of driving home after a day or a couple of heavy rain:
You see a pothole but not in time to avoid it or slow down.
You flinch as you hit the pothole and hope that your car has not seriously been damaged.
Sumarie Greybe, co-founder of Naked Insurance shares advice on how drivers can avoid potholes as well as minimise damage:
– Drive carefully and don’t exceed the designated speed limit.
– Be as twice as careful in the rain and assume that any puddles on the road could be a pothole in disguise
– Keep an eye other drivers on the road — if they are swerving, there could be a pothole on the road
– Ensure that your tyres of your car are inflated at their correct pressure levels to minimise the damage when you drive through a pothole.
– If you are not able to avoid the pothole, slow down before you hit it but make sure you don’t brake while you are driving through the pothole.
According to Greybe, if your car has sustained internal or external damage after hitting a pothole it’s best not to drive for your safety. If you have insurance, you should call your insurance provider to dispatch a tow truck.
“If the car seems okay or only has some surface level scratches and dents, you can safely proceed. If necessary, you can contact your insurer to claim when you get home. It might still be worth going to the nearest tyre centre for a check-up before doing too much more driving,” Greybe said.
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