Causing undue wear and tear on vehicles and constantly presenting the opportunity to be the catalyst for a crash, potholes have long been the bane of drivers with the term finding common usage among U.S. drivers by 1909, according to Cityworks.com.
The site reported there are an estimated 55 million potholes across the more than four million miles of U.S. roads, and between 2013-2018 some 16 million drivers reported vehicle damage caused by a pothole. Drivers reported paying an average of $300 to repair the damage.
So what causes potholes? Groundwater freezing and thawing under the pavement can weaken concrete over time. As the weakened concrete further splinters, the interconnected cracks break off into small chunks of pavement, which become dislodged as vehicles drive over them. Eventually, the chunks of pavement disperse completely, leaving behind potholes.
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Steve Hallo
Steve Hallo is managing editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. He can be reached at [email protected]
