How Potholes Are Formed
Potholes are formed by the everyday stresses caused by traffic and the heating and cooling of the pavement's surface. Heat from the sun warms the roadway causing it to expand and at night or during cold temperatures the roadway contracts. Small cracks can form on the surface, allowing water to seep into the underlying layers. The water freezes and expands when it's cold and when the roadway warms up again, the ice melts and moves to another part of the road. This leaves a gap and creates a weak point under the pavement. When traffic goes over these weak spots, it can widen the cracks and allow more water in, repeating the cycle. Overtime, more stress from traffic and the freezing/thawing cycle can cause the pavement to sink and deteriorate, thus forming a pothole.
Why You Should Avoid Potholes
Driving over a pothole puts more stress on an already weak spot. This causes the pothole to break apart further and become larger.
Your vehicle has many different suspension components. Continuous driving over potholes puts a hard strain on your suspension. If these parts have not been maintained, hitting a pothole can break these parts, leaving you stranded.
A pothole is a deteriorating hole in the pavement, which means it is lower than the roadway around it. This sudden drop while driving can send your vehicle in a different direction, possibly resulting in a crash.
Low profile vehicles can bottom out causing damage to the undercarriage and possibly gashing a hole in an oil pan.
Hitting a pothole can bend the rim of your tire, causing it to leak. Most of the time it's a small leak that can go undetected for hours. Just long enough for you to finish work and walk out to a flat tire.
Sometimes a pothole can cause your tire to pop off of the rim or even blow out.
Remember, a pothole is made from gaps under the pavement. Depending on how large a pothole is, it can bring your vehicle to a sudden stop. This can result in serious damage to your vehicle and a higher probability of a rear-end accident.
Now that you know how a pothole is formed and why you should avoid them, DRIVE SAFE!
If you haven't already, try to avoid potholes whenever safely possible. If you notice a dangerously large pothole, bring it to the attention of your city officials.
J&S FixQuik Auto | Mobile Auto Repair | Aurora, IL
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