ATLANTA — It's one of those things that annoys every driver - but you may not fully realize just how much potholes are actually costing us.
AAA-The Auto Club Group says watch - a new survey found drivers with car damage from a potholes jumped 57% in the last year.
Last year about 44 million drivers in the U.S. had to deal with pothole repair bills, a sharp spike from 2021's figure of 28 million.
The average price tag for a repair? $406.
Even worse? Drivers averaged two of those repairs a year.
“Potholes can wreak havoc on your vehicle,” said Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman for AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Driving over one of these can cost you hundreds of dollars in repairs. So be sure to keep a look out for these hazardous holes in the roads and be safe when driving around them."
Here are some tips to avoid pothole damage:
- Check your tires often: That means tread depth, your tire pressure, suspension and of course your alignment.
- Keep your eyes on the road: This might seem obvious, but you need to try and not hit them. One way to do that is leave a little distance between the car in front of you, making potholes easier to see before you hit them.
How do potholes even form?
Here's the explanation from AAA:
Cracked and crumbling pavement is the perfect environment for potholes to form. Moisture collects in these crevices and, as temperatures fluctuate, they expand and contract due to freezing and thawing. This breaks up the pavement and, combined with the weight of passing cars and trucks, eventually results in a pothole. These concrete craters can wreak havoc on a vehicle’s tires, alignment, suspension, and shocks.