Potholes Are The Worst: Here's How They're Formed & Why They're So Dangerous

Potholes are a major road problem that automakers including Tesla are trying to solve. They're particularly bad if your car happens to hit one. The word "pothole" is based on "pot," which is a 14th-Century English word for a deep hole. It came to describe our road-based potholes during the early 20th Century. 

There are three elements that must be present for potholes to form in a road — these are cracks in the road surface, water to seep into the cracks, and traffic to accelerate the process. The actual process of pothole formation has five stages, the first of which is the road surface cracking, due to the road's inability to support the amount of traffic on it, resulting in flexing of the pavement and cracks forming. This can be accelerated by factors like asphalt that is old, insufficient drainage, and road repairs made by utilities that don't meet proper standards. 

The next step toward making a pothole is when water enters the cracked pavement, working its way down underneath the road surface, causing the supporting soil to become softer and degrading the road's structure. Once this begins, the traffic load on the road does its work, breaking up the road surface and causing the pothole to form. The seasonal cycle of freezing and thawing in colder climates makes it worse, deepening and widening the potholes during the winter. Finally, the potholes fill with water, with traffic accelerating the ejection of material from the pothole, making them even larger.

Now let's see why potholes are so dangerous. A survey taken by the AAA (American Automobile Association) in 2023 discovered that pothole repair bills affected 44 million drivers in 2022, with each driver paying an average of $406 per repair. That adds up to $17.864 Billion dollars in pothole repairs for a single year. 

At the very least, the impact may knock your car out of alignment, one of the signs you need to see a mechanic ASAP. Worse damage includes punctured or bulging tires, bent wheels, and potential damage to suspension and steering components, all of which are very expensive repairs. Other parts of your car that could be damaged include the exhaust system and your body panels. You could even damage your engine if the oil pan hits and lets the oil leak out. Worst-case scenario, you lose control and have an accident.

There are some strategies you can use to avoid the damaging effects of potholes. These start with avoiding known areas that have bad potholes — if you drive in these areas regularly, find another route with smoother roads. Another tip is to avoid driving through puddles, because these puddles may be hiding some very bad potholes that you do not want to drive into. Leave plenty of distance between your car and the car ahead of you, so you can see those potholes coming. Finally, if you just can't avoid hitting a bad pothole, hold the steering wheel firmly and do not brake while going through it.