Pothole-related accident claims on the rise - TimesLIVE

An insurer has recorded a 15% increase in pothole-related accident claims this year compared to last year — and a 9% increase in tyre damage claims that are the direct result of potholes.

“Dodging potholes has fast become a professional sport but doing so can, and sometimes does, result in car accidents,” said head of Dialdirect Insurance Anneli Retief.

“Even if hitting a pothole doesn’t cause an accident, the damage is immense. One bad patch of road could lead to punctures, tyre bulges, bad wheel alignment and balancing, uneven tyre wear, cracked rims, damaged undercarriage, damaged tyre walls and blowouts.”

According to the South African Road Federation (SARF), South Africa is home to 25-million potholes, 10-million more than there were five years ago.

Dialdirect said most of the pothole-related claims are logged from incidents that occurred during off-peak traffic times, when motorists tend to drive a bit faster.

“While our jointly sponsored pothole fixing initiative in Johannesburg, the Pothole Patrol, is making a considerable dent in ridding Johannesburg of potholes, more needs to be done to protect motorists and fill the gap in other provinces,” said Retief. 

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