Play dodge potholes in Ballito, aiming for a zero score!

In the Ballito/Salt Rock area we don’t play dodgeball, we play dodge potholes.

Dodgeball is a game in which players on two teams try to throw balls at each other while avoiding being hit themselves.

Dodge potholes is a real life situation in which drivers try to dodge potholes in the road while avoiding being hit by oncoming traffic.

The situation is pretty bad.

I made a cursory count of the potholes from home in Salt Rock to work in Ballito Drive.

There are in the region of 66 potholes. I dodged five in Hulett Road, but that’s like the nursery ski slopes.

Ocean Drive is where skillful and alert drivers are challenged as there are at least 59 potholes on my route.

And worse, there are potholes that defy the makeshift makeovers, and simply pop open again.

The road resembles a disease-ridden leper, it needs high-end health insurance to cover the cost of complete re-tarring.

Granted, some potholes are quite small, but in some places there are a smattering of them in one spot and they may well grow into one large pothole.

It’s the deep ones that really cause damage to cars that one aims to avoid.

This is not always possible if there is oncoming traffic.

Exploring car insurance options recently, I was interested to note coverage for pothole damage – now the norm, listed along along with hi-jacking, vehicle theft and so on.

I wonder in how many other countries pothole coverage feature in insurance policies.

Perhaps we should have an adopt-a-pothole strategy where each family takes care of a pothole of their choice.

You can name it, plant flowers, erect signposts advising against swimming and fishing or warning, “Beware of the pothole” or follow the Hillcrest residents’ example.

They buy these dear pothole repair kits and fill the potholes themselves.

In the mean time, play the dodge potholes game with care.

Remember, a good score to aspire to is zero, not hitting even one on your journey.

Daily living in Ballito is hardcore, certainly not for the fainthearted hence our well-developed sense of humour!

The AA advises what to do if your car gets damaged by a pothole.

You need to first establish if you are driving on a National Road / Municipal Road.

National roads are commonly identified as N1, N2 and so on.

These roads are the responsibility of the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) whereas municipal roads would fall under the authority of the various municipal districts or the Department of Public Works were those roads are located.

SANRAL contracts with road works companies to maintain these roads, and they have to provide proof that they have an insurance policy in place to cover claims for liability from road users.

Claims for damages from potholes / road works on National Roads are therefore directed to SANRAL and from there to the specific contractor on that stretch of road.

The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) confirms that claims are processed like any other car insurance claim if it could be proved that the damage occurred as a result of road works / pothole damage.

On the municipal roads, the road users would have to approach that specific municipal authority or Department of Public Works and inquire from them which documentation to complete, and to whom to submit such a claim.

Information required would include:

Your ID Document

Your Driver’s License

The Registration Details of your Vehicle

3 Written quotes for repair

A Declaration signed by the claimant

AA suggests the vehicle owner also provide proof through photos of the pothole and the damage to the vehicle.

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