Potholes

**Timbuk2**

This may seem like a stupid thread but I'm having problems with these now.

I never react properly to potholes. I often don't see them in time, and usually end up driving through them quite fast, probably damaging the tracking on my tires. Also, sometimes I swerve abruptly around them (this is bad, I do it without thinking about it).

It was even worse today as everything was covered in water, and the potholes were disguised as puddles

How should you react to a pothole? Is slowing down and going through it the best option, or should you move around it (and which way, move left or move right)?

I know it sounds obvious just to read the road ahead, but some potholes can be difficult to spot (they seem to have increased since the icy weather that we had), and especially in unlit areas at night.

Also, in the test, should you cross the centreline of a road to avoid driving through a large puddle? If I wait until there are now cars on the opposite side of a road to 'overtake' a puddle, could I be marked for progress?

The Big Red Button

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

This may seem like a stupid thread but I'm having problems with these now.

When you're learning to drive, no such thing as a stupid question

I never react properly to potholes. I often don't see them in time, and usually end up driving through them quite fast, probably damaging the tracking on my tires. Also, sometimes I swerve abruptly around them (this is bad, I do it without thinking about it).

I know that this is an awful lot harder than it sounds, but if you don't see them in time then you really do need to work on your observation skills. Lots and lots of practice should help that!

You really need to stop swerving suddenly to avoid them, as I'm sure you know yourself! Better to risk damaging your car on a pothole than to risk injuring a cyclist that you haven't seen coming up along the side of your car.

It was even worse today as everything was covered in water, and the potholes were disguised as puddles

How should you react to a pothole? Is slowing down and going through it the best option, or should you move around it (and which way, move left or move right)?

Personally I would always drive around/over it rather than through it, but you really need to be constantly using your mirrors in order to be able to do this safely. Slowing down to go through it not only damages your wheels/tyres/etc, it's also more likely to annoy other drivers than if you maintain speed but adjust your course slightly to avoid the pothole.

I know it sounds obvious just to read the road ahead, but some potholes can be difficult to spot (they seem to have increased since the icy weather that we had), and especially in unlit areas at night.

Yeah, definitely agree with that

Also, in the test, should you cross the centreline of a road to avoid driving through a large puddle? If I wait until there are now cars on the opposite side of a road to 'overtake' a puddle, could I be marked for progress?

If it's a solid centreline, as I'm sure you know, don't cross it for a puddle! Depending on the circumstances and the traffic, it could be OK over a broken centreline, however you really need to get some practice in a car with an instructor to improve your judgement on when it is/isn't likely to be acceptable.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

daveharnett

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

How should you react to a pothole? Is slowing down and going through it the best option, or should you move around it (and which way, move left or move right)?

If it's safe and practical to do so, avoiding them is the ideal. It all depends on traffic, the road, your speed, and how early you spot it.

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I never react properly to potholes. I often don't see them in time, and usually end up driving through them quite fast, probably damaging the tracking on my tires. Also, sometimes I swerve abruptly around them (this is bad, I do it without thinking about it).

Reacting to hazards at the last minute is always tough. The goal is to avoid needing to do it at all, but there are always limits to how much you can observe and anticipate. The most important thing is to keep thinking; this gets easier with exposure - animals running onto the road still cause me to miss a beat, but potholes don't.

Decision making becomes a lot easier if you can keep a good mental image of the traffic around you. When you need to react quickly, the goal is to know without needing to look again how much space you have to work with for braking and maneuvering.

**Timbuk2**

Thanks for the replies! They were very helpful!