Formed by very high or low temperatures, pressure from heavier vehicles or poor maintenance of infrastructure, potholes are a pain in the neck for many SA motorists.
Durban – The ability to navigate around a pothole while remembering the rules of a four-way stop during load shedding is a skill only those in South Africa should be able to add to their CVs.
Potholes and the subsequent damage they cause to vehicles, motorist’s pockets and pedestrians has become a South African story.
IOL in 2022 has featured multiple news reports about how potholes, including one where a local comedian hosted his podcast from inside a pothole.
IOL in 2022 also spoke to a local travel blogger family about their four-day, four-province trip from Durban to the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and the Northern Cape.
Amy-Lee Theron and her family were driving along the R26 from Ficksburg towards Fouriesburg in the Free State when she whipped out her phone and pressed record.
She added the Super Mario theme song to the video which made it super hilarious.
Since then, the Department of Transport has launched a nationwide campaign to fix potholes on SA roads.
Launched in the Emfuleni Local Municipality south of Johannesburg, Operation Vala Zonke/Operation Kwala Kaofela is led by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL), as an agency of the National Department of Transport.
SANRAL will be working closely with provincial and municipal roads departments as part of the programme
HOW WE GET POTHOLES
Potholes form over time, where roads are worn down by use and eroded by weather. This, together with constant high traffic volumes, including an ever-growing number of heavy vehicles, requires the roads to take enormous strain and, if not adequately maintained, will deteriorate, including the formation of potholes.
“Amongst other things, potholes are formed by high or very low temperatures causing cracks in the road surface.
“These cracks get wider over time, and rainwater would seep in, eroding the underlying layers of crushed rock and gravel.
“Passing traffic stresses the road surface further until it loses strength and collapses, and breaks away from the surface.
“The small gap caused by this absent piece of surface grows in size as more water and traffic penetrates the underlying layers. That is why we generally see more potholes forming during rainy seasons,” explained SANRAL.
The agency’s Western Cape region manager, Randall Cable, said while poor maintenance is often cited as the main cause of potholes, the damage caused to roads by heavy vehicles, especially overloaded vehicles, is a major contributing factor.
He added that tackling the pothole pandemic in SA is not a simple matter of slapping on a hot asphalt band aid and steering away from the problem.
What to do if you’ve hit a pothole:
- Find a safe place to pull over onto the shoulder or curb of the road.
- As you drive, take note of the steering. Assess whether the vehicle is shuddering or pulling to one side, which may indicate an alignment issue.
- Also, listen and feel for any impact on your vehicle suspension.
- Once safely parked, check for any visible signs of damage to the exterior and underneath your vehicle.
- Call for emergency or roadside assistance and remain alert for your personal safety.
How to claim after hitting a pothole:
- To make an insurance claim, you’ll be required to record the details of the incident and attach the following when you submit your claim form;
- You can also claim directly from municipal road authorities such as the Joburg Roads Agency for City of Johannesburg residents, but be warned, this is a process which could take months, possibly years, before it is finalised.
- A police affidavit.
- Copy of claimant’s driving licence (in case of vehicle damage).
- Vehicle registration documents (in case of vehicle damage).
- Copy of ID.
- Photos of the pothole/trench/manhole/object that damaged your car.
- Invoice/proof of payment, if applicable.
SANRAL has also developed an app that can be used to report potholes
By Se-Anne Rall , Africannewsagency
