(Hint: Offroading doesn’t count)
Warmer days, cooler nights — it’s “pothole growing season” in Missouri!
As the road surfaces freeze and thaw due to moisture, cracks in the road start growing into potholes. Those pesky potholes cause more trouble than you might think! The AAA auto club estimates a mind-blowing 3 billion dollars yearly is spent in the U.S. on car repairs due to potholes.
When you think of auto repairs due to potholes, your first thought might be tire damage. True enough! In fact, reputable tire and auto centers offer “road hazard warranties” with purchase of their tires. Considering the price of tires, this may be a worthwhile investment. Most of these warranties only cover you for one year. Like me, you probably hope to get more than a year out of your tires!
However, your car repairs could escalate into even more expensive damage. Consider that the 2016 AAA survey found more than 30 million Americans forked out between $250 to $1,000 dollars for pothole damage to their vehicles.
Why? That jarring drive over potholes easily messes up your car’s suspension system: shocks, struts, and even ball joints. And what about the front-end alignment you paid for with your new tires?
Even more costly than an expensive auto repair is an expensive a pothole-induced auto accident.
Say you swerve suddenly to miss a pothole, and you hit a car in your blind spot! Or perhaps you brake quickly to avoid tearing up your catalytic convertor in your car’s undercarriage. Suddenly you risk becoming the victim of a rear-end auto accident! Both drivers lose time and money to the lowly pothole yet again.
Even worse, that hidden tire damage due to an unexpected pothole could also cause an accident further down the road. Weakened tires blow out when you least expect it!
An interesting side note — self-driving car engineers are still trying to figure out how to safely maneuver the pothole! It’s an engineering nightmare, apparently. Pothole.info tells the story on its site, dedicated to pothole information and safety issues.
Here’s how to fight potholes in your area …
The AAA considers pothole prevention and repair to be a vital part of road safety for their club members. The state of Missouri agrees. Every spring they encourage Missouri citizens to report those pesky potholes! Keeping up with more than 34,000 miles of road maintenance is the job of the Missouri Department of Transportation. (MoDOT)
The Pothole Patrol is a division of Missouri DOT dedicated to making it easy for YOU to report pothole locations. You can reach them by email or mobile device. Be sure to bookmark the link provided.
Many Americans end up paying out of pocket for their estimated $300- $1,000 a year due to car repairs caused by potholes.
Will your auto insurance cover these claims? What about your local municipality? The local Fox2Now news reports that you may file a claim with MoDOT, but there is no guarantee that you will get a payment.
This is where things get really dicey! If you’re not armed with the proper knowledge, you may end up paying more than you should for a car accident caused by a pothole. You need the experienced advice of an expert personal injury and traffic accident lawyer today!
Attorney Nathan A. Steimel is a long-time resident of the St. Louis area. Local traffic law is one of his specialties. Especially if you’ve been injured in a car accident due to poor road maintenance — call 636-244-3737 for a free initial consultation.
This website is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice or the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.