How to proceed with caution over potholes
On Thursday, June 9 it was Pretoria east’s turn as road maintenance teams were patching potholes and undertaking general road maintenance.
The Tshwane metro said it has received positive feedback from local ward councillors across political lines on its so-called “jet patcher” which it was using to speedily catch up with its backlog in repairing potholes.
On Thursday, June 9 it was Pretoria east’s turn as road maintenance teams were patching potholes and undertaking general road maintenance.
“Potholes pose a greater threat than just a financial one,” Advocate Johan Jonck, the developer for the Arrive Alive website, told Rekord.
Jonck said he has heard of fatal accidents caused by pothole-related head-on collisions.
“After losing control of their car after driving through a pothole, a driver may swerve into oncoming traffic, or other vehicles may over-correct while trying to avoid a pothole.”
He offered the below safety tips for drivers.
– On wet roads: When driving on wet roads and where you see puddles. Potholes may look like puddles when the roadway is wet. If you must drive over a puddle, treat it as though it may be a pothole. Otherwise, avoid driving over wet spaces on the road.
– Driving at night: At night, visibility is reduced and you may be blinded by the headlights of oncoming vehicles reducing your ability to identify a pothole.
– In areas with poor street lighting: Street lighting may be affected by power outages, load-shedding or even crime. Be extra cautious where you may not observe the condition of the road surface far beyond the vehicle.
– Where you see warning signs: Warning signs may be by traffic signs indicating road maintenance. It may also be patches of gravel on the roads as a quick-fix solution to covering potholes. Remember that when there is or was one, there may be more potholes.
Jonck noted that even though drivers can’t always avoid hitting a pothole, using defensive driving techniques can help minimise the damage and avoid a collision. He gives tips on safe driving techniques to prevent crashes from striking potholes.
“Allow yourself the time and space to respond swiftly at the sight of a pothole on the road.”
– While driving, be observant and look out for potholes. Avoid driving distracted. Sometimes being aware that a pothole is coming gives the driver enough time to avoid hitting it.
– Reduce speed/slow down when driving at night, in poor visibility and on wet roads.
– Slow down when you see the road is poorly maintained – where there is one, there may be more potholes.
– Increase your following distance to the vehicle ahead of you: The three seconds following distance may not be enough, especially when following trucks and other heavier vehicles that may obscure your view of the road ahead. The pothole may appear too quickly for a swift and effective response.
– Speed matters. If you cannot avoid a pothole, you can minimise damage by slowing down before you hit it. The faster you drive, the more damage is likely. You do need to slow down without creating a hazard, so check to see if anyone is following close behind you, approaching you or maybe in your blind spot.
– If you’re forced to drive over a pothole, slow down and treat it as a speedbump to avoid tyre, rim or undercarriage damage.
– Don’t brake directly over the pothole as this can actually cause more damage. Slow down before going over the pothole.
– Hold your steering wheel firmly while driving over a pothole to avoid losing control of the car.
– It is better to drive over a pothole than to cause a head-on crash or a side-swipe collision.
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