Keep Your Vehicle Safe On The Road By Avoiding Potholes

3 April 2015
 Categories: , Blog

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The winter often brings along frigidly cold temperatures, heavy snow and thick ice. Combined, each of these factors can cause a great deal of damage to the roads. This damage often comes in the form of potholes. Potholes might seem like a minor inconvenience, but they can actually do a great deal of damage to your vehicle. Familiarizing yourself with the risks that come along with hitting a pothole and knowing how to avoid them is important to protecting your vehicle.

Tire Damage

Potholes are especially dangerous for your tires. Potholes don't form with perfectly smooth edges. Instead, they are often rigid and rough, allowing them to easily puncture your tire. Depending on the location of the puncture, you might have to replace the tire altogether.

If you drive over a pothole that is very deep, this can also cause damage to the wheel rim. One this happens, fixing the tire isn't enough. You will likely need to have the vehicle towed to a repair shop to have the wheel repaired or replaced before you can replace the tire.

Glass Damage

Running over a pothole can also cause a great deal of damage to the glass on your vehicle. This is especially true if you have an existing chip or crack in the glass. Glass in this condition is fragile and sensitive to damage with even the slightest amount of force.

Each time you run over a pothole, this causes your entire vehicle to jolt, including the glass. The pressure that the jolt causes is often enough to cause a small crack to spread and, in some cases, it's enough to cause the entire piece of glass to shatter. In this instance, you will need to have the glass replaced with help from a shop like M S Glass Outlet.

How To Avoid Potholes

When it comes to avoiding a pothole, keeping your eyes glued on the road will be your best tool. Particularly if there isn't a lot of traffic on the road, you can recognize a pothole while you still have time to turn your wheel and drive around it.

Even if you aren't fortunate enough to have time to turn your wheel, you can slow down. Going over a pothole at a slower speed comes with fewer risks than driving over a hole at a higher speed. Avoid distractions while driving, so you can keep your eyes on the cars and the road conditions in front of you.

Make certain you are doing your part to keep your vehicle safe on the road by avoiding potholes.