Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash
Potholes are a hot topic at the moment. There is growing concern at the fact that our South African roads seem to be rapidly deteriorating, and much frustration at the municipality’s inability to keep up with the demand of repairing these gaping holes, scattered throughout the country’s infrastructure. On the lighter side, we thought we would offer you some handy advice on what to do if you hit a pothole.
Hitting a pothole at speed increases the potential of doing great damage to your vehicle. But other than causing damage to your car wheels, steering, or wheel alignment, you could even flip or roll your vehicle. If the former occurs, repairs may not be worth an insurance claim, but if the latter occurs, we sincerely hope you have adequate cover in place to repair or replace your vehicle. With the current state of our roads, it is important to update your insurance and check the ins and outs of roadside assistance and vehicle towing should you hit a pothole and need to call on these services. Chat to your financial planner today to go over your current vehicle insurance and what it includes.
Check for damage
If you hit a pothole, make sure you immediately check your car for damage. As soon as you can pull over in a safe and well-lit area, stop your car and check to see if there is any damage. If the steering seems out of alignment, or if there is any strange noise bothering you at all, it is best to get your car checked at a garage or tyre specialist as soon as you can. Ignoring any minor issues may cost you a lot of money further down the line.
Record the details
If you want to claim from your insurance provider, you’ll need some details to support your claim. Take pictures of the pothole and of any visible damage made to your car. Record the road name, and if possible, the GPS coordinates the pothole is on. If someone was with you at the time, take down their contact details as a witness to the incident.
Report the Pothole
Whether you want
to claim for damages or not, you should always report a pothole to the local
authorities so that they can, hopefully, get around to fixing it as soon as
possible and prevent further damage to other people and vehicles driving the
same route. Email the details of the pothole along with photographs and the
exact location to roads@aasa.co.za.
Have you ever hit a pothole and damaged your vehicle? Let us know in the comments section below.
For professional, honest financial advice that you can understand and trust, talk to a financial planner today.