Everything You Need to Know About Potholes

Based on research finding around six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales, there are more than one million potholes on UK roads. And this isn’t necessarily surprising; most drivers have hit a nasty pothole at some point in their driving life – and many have experienced the frustration at tyre damage caused by poor road conditions. 

While it’s possible to get financial compensation to repair or replace damaged tyres, there’s generally a feeling that we shouldn’t have to go through the headache and admin in order to do so. 

So where do potholes come from, what effect do they have on the road’s surface, and what dangers can they cause to your tyres, suspension, and steering systems? Let’s find out!

How do potholes form?

Sometimes, a pothole forms due to damage caused by things like car accidents, heavy items falling off trucks, or improper road repairs – but this is comparatively quite rare. Instead, the formation of potholes is almost always due to a common type of weathering called “freeze thaw”. This is a process whereby water fills a crack and then expands as it freezes, which breaks the crack a bit more open and creates space for more water to fill it during the next freeze-thaw cycle. 

This process repeats cyclically over long periods of time to eventually wear away the surface of a road. The following steps outline this weathering process in more detail:

1. The surface of the road may begin to develop cracks over time. This is natural, as they are in constant use and are subject to a lot of pressure from heavy vehicles such as lorries and buses.
2. Then, when it rains, water may enter these small cracks and fissures. If the weather is cold enough, and the temperatures on the road surface drop below zero, the water in these cracks freezes.
3. When water freezes, it increases in surface area and volume by approximately 9%, making it much larger than it was before. As a result, the frozen water no longer fits comfortably within the crack.
4. Due to the expansion of the water when frozen, a certain amount of pressure will now be exerted outwards onto the crack by the ice, pushing it apart wider and deepening it.
5. When the temperature increases slightly, the ice will melt and contract, leaving the crack larger. Over time, this may cause the crack enlarge, eventually forming a pothole.

You might think that water might squeeze itself upwards from a crack as it freezes, as it’s the easiest route for it to take. But freezing often happens from the top down – so the water in the crack gets trapped and has nowhere to go. 

This process is much more likely to occur in the early spring, as this is when the temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing most frequently. The next time you’re driving in March or April, keep an eye out for more potholes than usual.

Potholes & road surfaces

Tarmac and asphalt have been the most common road surfacing materials in the UK for quite some time now, due to the ease of laying them and their relative robustness. But any material choice has its compromises: tarmac tends to be rigid and more resistant to damage from heavy vehicles, because it’s made from coal tar. Asphalt, on the other hand, is made using a petroleum-based bitumen – so it remains a bit more flexible at the cost of less resistance to heavy loads. But while self-healing asphalt is in the works, both form cracks over time.

How dangerous are potholes to your tyres?

Potholes are one of the most serious tyre hazards on the road, and can have a significant impact on your tyre's health. On occasion, potholes can even put a tyre out of action for good. Here are just a few of the ways in which potholes can affect your tyres:

Punctures

Perhaps the most common type of tyre pothole damage is a puncture. If you drive over a pothole too quickly, the sudden impact may be enough to cause the tyre to crack, piercing the tyre, releasing air, and lowering the tyre pressure as a puncture. In this instance, you will need to replace the tyre with a newer one. Check out our step-by-step guide for how to change a tyre.

Bulged tyres

Another result of hitting a pothole while travelling at speed is a bulge in your tyre. This is caused when the sidewall of the tyre itself gets damaged. Over time, this may lead to your tyre popping or deflating – which is never safe.

Wheel damage

Lastly, if the pothole is deep enough, your actual wheel hub may get bent or encounter damage in the form of cracking. The wheel may burst while you are driving which could send the vehicle out of control.

If you think your tyre has been affected by pothole damage, you can book in for a free tyre check at Kwik Fit. That being said, if the roads near where you live are notoriously pothole-ridden, it might be wise to look into Kwik Fit’s Tyre Care Insurance. 

Are certain tyres better suited for roads with lots of potholes?

You can actually help arm yourself against potholes by opting for certain types of tyre. Typically, smaller, more flimsy tyres perform less well on uneven road surfaces, whereas bigger, broader tyres are better equipped to handle the challenging terrain. Getting your hands on a quality set of winter or all-season tyres is your best bet here.

What can you do about potholes?

Since they are often the result of natural causes, it is easy to feel powerless when it comes to potholes. But there are a number of actions you can take.

Reporting potholes

For a start, if you notice a particularly bad pothole on a road near you, you can always report it. Some county councils, like Kent, have an online reporting system where drivers can report potholes and their severity. But the government also has a centralised pothole reporting page for the entire country. If the pothole you notice is on a road managed by Highways England, however, there is another reporting process.

Avoiding potholes

As a driver, it is your responsibility to keep your car, its passengers, and its parts safe. So, to avoid pothole damage, it is often the best option to avoid potholes altogether. Here are a few tips.

Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done, but try to think about where you are driving and the likelihood of potholes. On old country roads where the road surface isn’t likely to be maintained regularly (and may come under strain from agricultural vehicles), there may well be many potholes. In these areas, be sure to drive slowly and steadily.

Treat every puddle as a hidden hazard

Though it may well be tempting to try and wash some mud off your wheels on a rainy day by splashing through groundwater, puddles make excellent hiding places for potholes. In fact, puddles should act as warning signs; the more puddles a road has, the more uneven its surface (or the water wouldn’t puddle). 

You simply can never tell just by looking at a puddle how deep or how damaged the road surface beneath it is. And it’s never worth damaging your tyres or alloys. So, if it is safe to do so, drive around it. 

Maximise your visibility

If it hasn’t been raining heavily, it is usually quite easy to spot potholes if you’re paying attention. Potholes are hazards, and should be given as much attention as other potential hazards on the road - such as parked vehicles or obstructions. 

When driving through a notoriously pothole-laden area, hang back from the car in front enough so you can see the road surface in front of you well before you encounter it. This gives you enough time to try and safely avoid a pothole, or indeed time to react if the car in front is dealt a nasty bump from a pothole.

What to do if you damage your tyres from a pothole?

Modern tyres are much tougher than those of even 10 years ago, but not immune to uneven and degraded roads. Sometimes, the damage sustained from hitting a pothole isn’t necessarily immediately visible. Usually, harm to the internal structure will show up as a bulge in the tyre sidewall. If you notice this, you should get a new tyre as soon as you can.

As the local authorities are responsible for maintaining the roads, you can claim for damage caused due to poor road surfaces by following these simple steps.

Take photos of the damage to your tyres

If you suspect that you may have suffered tyre damage, make a note of the location and road name where you think the pothole is located. Be as precise as possible with the location of the pothole, its size and depth as well as if there was anyone else around when your vehicle went over the pothole. If you can do so safely, it’s a good idea to take photos of the pothole including an object for size comparison.

Report the pothole to the local authorities

Even if you don’t want to claim damages, you can still report a pothole to the authorities. The relevant authority should be made aware of the problem so that they can work to get the road surface repaired. Most major roads are managed by National Highways. However, smaller roads are usually the responsibility of the county, city or borough councils.

Get your tyres repaired

Looking after your car is vital to ensure that it continues to run efficiently. In order to claim, you will need copies of quotes, invoices, and receipts for work that has been carried out. If your vehicle has suffered damage to areas other than just the alloys or tyres, you should report the damage to your insurance company rather than the local authorities.

Make your damage claim in writing

Claims should be made in writing to the relevant authority. You need to provide a clear and detailed account of what happened, where and how it occurred, as well as the costs of replacing it. If the authority was already aware of the issue then your claim is more likely to be accepted.

Dealing with rejection

Your claim could be rejected by the local authorities for a number of reasons. You can request under the Freedom of Information Act to find out how often the road has been inspected; there is a chance that it might not meet the national standards for highway maintenance. If this is the case then your claim could be re-evaluated.

Be prepared to negotiate your claim

You can actually negotiate with the authority on reimbursement, which is usually a better option than paying to take the case to the courts. Usually, taking the claim to the court will cost more than the money that you’ll get back in compensation.

Use the small claims court

This is the last resort. If you think that the authorities haven’t conformed to national guidelines, you can consider making a small claims case. However, this will incur costs and if you lose the case then you could end up out of pocket.

Replace your tyres with confidence at Kwik Fit

If you’ve recently had a nasty run-in with a pothole and you’re worried about any damage to your tyres or vehicle, pop into your local Kwik Fit centre and speak to the expert.

At Kwik Fit, our team is here to assess any potential damage and recommend the best solutions for keeping you safely on the road. Whether you need a simple tyre check, a repair or replacement, or if you're looking for a full MOT and vehicle servicing, we're ready to help. Visit us today for a free tyre inspection, let us make sure your vehicle is road-ready.