4 Ways to Keep Your Car Safe as Potholes Plague UK
Potholes are the bane of any driver’s existence in the UK, and it can seem as though the problem is only getting worse on UK roads.
According to RAC data, pothole-related breakdowns have climbed 17% in the final three months of 2024 compared to the quarter before, with as many as 4,709 drivers needing rescuing due to damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs, or distorted wheels.
Recent government initiatives to tackle the growing cases of pothole damage have resulted in a £1.6 billion fund provided to councils to repair roads and fill the holes on their surfaces as a means of keeping cars safe.
However, given that potholes seem to be cropping up so frequently at the moment, it’s certainly worth drivers taking measures to prevent lasting damage to their motors from the threat of troublesome surface damage.
With this in mind, let’s explore four key ways to minimise the threat of potholes without having to break the bank in the process:
1. Keep Vigilant
The first and easiest way to keep your car safe from the threat of potholes is to constantly be on the lookout for surface damage to the road as you’re driving.
Keeping vigilant helps to give you time to avoid hitting the potholes as you approach, but it’s of course important to stay aware of your wider surroundings, ensuring that moving away from a pothole doesn’t pose a threat to any other vehicles or pedestrians around you.
Scanning roads for potholes isn’t a flawless way to stop your car from falling victim to a hole in the ground, and at night time it can be especially difficult to see whether there’s a pothole lurking beyond your field of vision.
Apps like Waze can be an effective tool to improve your vigilance to potholes, and users regularly update the platform with reports of hazards in the road that you can be alerted to as you approach. This allows plenty of time to prepare for an upcoming pothole without it becoming a distraction as you drive.
2. Make Sure Your Tyres are Inflated
Ensuring that your tyres have the correct pressure means that your car will be better equipped to absorb the impact if and when you encounter a pothole.
With this in mind, it’s worth consistently checking the pressure of your tyres and making adjustments if they drop too far below their required levels.
If you’re living in an area that has more potholes and uneven road surfaces, it may be worth buying reinforced tyres. This provides more hard-wearing and helps to protect the tyres more against damage from potholes, mounting curbs, or driving on off-road surfaces, thanks to their stronger internal structure.
3. Tend to Window Cracks Quickly
Whether it’s your windscreen or any other window in your car, potholes can significantly damage the glass in your car if it’s already chipped or cracked.
Because an impact with a pothole causes vibrations that reverberate through your chassis and across the bodywork, any vulnerabilities can be quickly exacerbated by a hole in the road, making them more severe and prone to shattering if enough damage is done over time.
Be sure to get your windscreen replaced professionally or repaired if you spot cracks. Potholes can not only cause cracks to worsen much faster over time, but they can also cause damaged glass to obstruct your vision, making an encounter with a pothole even more dangerous for yourself and those around you.
4. Always Check for Damage
You should also always listen for anything that your car is trying to tell you after hitting a pothole. If you begin hearing unusual sounds, it could be a sign that something is seriously wrong with your motor and that it should be checked out in case it threatens your safety.
If you’re worried that your vehicle has been damaged, pull over when it’s safe to do so and check for any damage. If something doesn’t look or feel safe, take your car to a garage to be checked out.
Although this may sound like a fast way to run up a bill with mechanics, the government has a pothole compensation scheme that can reimburse you for the repairs needed. Because of this, it’s always a good idea to make a note of the time and date you struck a pothole that may have caused damage to your vehicle.
Keeping Safe on the Road
While it can be hard to keep track of the potholes you encounter, if there are any holes that pose a threat to your vehicle on routes you frequently use, it’s always worth reporting them to your local council to make them aware.
The UK’s pothole plague may have ramped up a gear in recent months, but there are plenty of cost-effective ways to keep your motor safe from possible damage from low-quality roads. By keeping vigilant and staying proactive when you bump into a pothole, you can counter the challenges of the roads around you.
