How To Avoid Paying $100’s On Damage Thanks To Wyoming Pothole’s?

Wyoming's pothole season is here, so keep your eyes open and pay attention.

No one enjoys having to take their car into the shop to get repairs done, especially when it could've been avoided just by watching the road ahead of you.

It doesn't matter what part of the country or world you're in, roads are rough and in bad shape. The National Transportation Research Nonprofit, Tripnet.org released a report in January highlighting the scary facts of how bad the roads actually are.  In the United States 2.9 trillion miles of roads highways are travelled annually by motorists. According to the report, 40% of those roads and highways are in poor or mediocre condition.

Potholes are actually caused, for the most part, by weather. Water absorption, freeze-thaw cycles, heat, and the you add in good old wear and tear and potholes are formed. In states where snow is a factor, that really increases the pothole factor. When the roads freeze and thaw you have a better chance of the potholes forming and when you add salt into the equation is worsens the situation.

In Wyoming, we understand freezing & thawing and in the city of Casper, street crews maintain around 90,000 square feet of potholes. Since the city or crews may not drive down your street often they may not know about a pothole in your area, so there is a spot on CasperWY.gov that lets you report an area with a pothole present.

When you hit a pothole, it could lead to hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of damage.

CNET has great tips of how to avoid those nasty potholes and hopefully save you money:

• Look Ahead: scanning the road as a good distance in front of you will allow you to see the pothole and not let it surprise you
• Don't Tailgate: When you're driving to close to the car in front of you, you don't have good visibility and gives you less time to react.
• Brake Early: Don't wait until you're in the pot hole to brake, that puts more stress on your tires, wheels and suspension.
• Drive Straight: Turning to late to avoid the pothole, means you're exposing your tire and wheel.

Take a look at this video that shows you what to do to avoid those potholes.