Why Is Road Maintenance So Important for a Vehicle? 

We use roads every single day, weather that be to get to school, work, to travel to see friends and family and more. Usually the journey is easy but...
Road Maintenance

We use roads every single day, weather that be to get to school, work, to travel to see friends and family and more. Usually the journey is easy but we have all been caught out by the pesky pothole that can damage the tires of your car. Keeping on top of road surfacing makes sure that the roads are safe to use and that no major problems will occur. 

What Causes Potholes? 

Potholes are formed in cold and wet weather, water seeps through the cracks in the road and when the water freezes it causes the cracks to expand. When the ice melts the water will evaporate and the holes and gaps are then left under the road surface. When cars pass over these newly made gaps the road surface collapses into the gaps. 

 

How Can These Damage My Vehcile? 

Potholes are a driver’s worst enemy and for good reason! The impact of these vehicles can cause a number of issues including, bulging in your tyres, cracks or rips in your tyres, your wheels can buckle, you can get cracks in your alloys and it can even impact your wheel balance and tracking.

Driving over a large pothole can also cause a driver to lose control and potentially have an accident or collide with another car. 

 

Reasons For Damaged Roads

Roads can become damaged due to a number of reasons. Unfortunately in the United Kingdom we are prone to some not so nice weather. Due to this rainwater can take off the top layer of road surface and make its way deeper into the layers. When the temperature changes the moisture will expand and shrink causing holes in the road to get bigger overtime. 

 

Potholes are also more likely to appear on roads that are used more often, this means motorways are prone to them as lorries use them on a daily basis.

 

When roads are uneven or are damaged by potholes this can be dangerous for drivers, as mentioned above it can cause accidents and loss of control. This can be even more of an issue for cyclists as they could fall off their bikes into oncoming traffic. Driving over potholes can also cause damage to a car’s suspension and can even cause pedestrians to fall or trip and hurt themselves.

Making Journeys Smoother

Resurfacing roads will help create smooth roads, smoother roads means less chance of an accident and also will have a positive impact on fuel consumption as they allow cars to glide across the roads instead of needing the extra fuel to keep them moving. 

 

How Big Does A Hole Need To Be To Be Classed As A Pothole? 

It is around 40mm! It is still advised that you report any holes in the road so that any other drivers don’t have the same issues that you have had. If you do however, find a hole that is deeper than 40mm you will need to report this immediately. 

 

If you want to report a pothole you can do this on the government website. We would always suggest pulling over and checking any damage to your car and then also to inspect the road too and note down your exact location. You may then be able to claim money back and use the images as evidence. 

 

Did you know there are 700,000 new potholes reported every year which is a 13% increase! All of the potholes in the UK combined would reach the highest tip of mount Everest and the stats are only getting worse. 

 

Commercial road surfacing is the perfect solution for car parks and retail surfacing repairs! Companies can help to do patch repairs, carry out complete resurfacing, drainage, footpaths and much more! 

 

Alex is a marketing manager at Swift Surfacing. If you find yourself searching for “road resurfacing london” the swift surfacing team can help! Our goal is to help make roads safer for both cars, pedestrians and of course cyclists too. 

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