If you’ve been in Burton for 2 minutes you’ve probably encountered 10,000 potholes.
OK, not that many but there are a lot. Although, a lot of roadworks has been done recently, getting rid of many potholes.
Even with that said, you’ll still encounter your fair share of potholes and in this post, you’ll learn how to deal with them.
What causes these annoying potholes?
Potholes are caused by water reaching beneath the road and then freezing. This in turn weakens the road.
There’s a good chance the pavement will crack a little and then turn into a ‘pothole’ with the weight of the cars weakening it even further.
Because Burton is a cold, damp place, it gets a lot of potholes.
How do you deal with these potholes?
First of all, make sure there’s enough distance between you and the car ahead. This will help you spot the pothole quick which will give you more time to react.
(Be careful of puddles, it could be a pothole)
When you see the pothole, try to avoid it. However, we can’t always do this. So you should slow down and firmly hold the wheel to avoid losing control.
Make sure your car’s suspension is in good condition, as this will help with the impact. We’d also recommend you have your tires inflated to the manufacturer’s level.
WHY?
Because an uninflated tire will have less resistance to getting out of the pothole. And your engine will have to work harder to supplement for the weak tire.
So what kind of damage can potholes do to my car?
- Fluid leaks
- Odd noises coming out of the exhaust
- Deflated tires
- Cracks in the tires
- Dents in the wheel rims
- Your car pulling left or right which could mean you’ve got an alignment issue.
If you encounter any of the above, we would highly recommend you take your car to a mechanic.
If you believe your car is OK, we would still recommend taking your car to a mechanic after the winter is over. Just to be 100% safe.
Sometimes potholes in Burton are unavoidable but you need to handle them correctly as we’ve discussed today.
If you notice potholes, it may be a good idea to notify your county.
Looking for driving lesson on Burton on Trent? Then check us out.
