Potholes: Unforeseen Cause of Car Accidents

SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

Potholes: Unforeseen Cause of Car Accidents

Potholes are a terrible thing to have for many reasons. They can cause driving hazards, tripping hazards and create a bad impression of your place of business. Potholes can impact your business in ways you may not have considered.

Potholes are dangerous to drivers and pedestrians. Many times people will swerve their vehicles in an attempt to avoid potholes. This leads to them swerving towards cars and trucks in the opposing lane, or towards pedestrians on the side walk. Either way it is a recipe for disaster.

Consider the following excerpt from http://seriousaccidents.com in reference to hiring their car injury expert lawyers to represent persons involved in serious injury cases caused directly by potholes.

“Sometimes, when a pothole is so severe, or your car is not equipped to handle the blow, it will cause you to lose control of your car. This leads to car accidents that, many times, have caused wrongful deaths. Motorcycle drivers are at special risk of injury if they ride over a pothole. Having just two wheels on the ground and a lower weight than cars, motorcycles are ill-equipped to handle potholes. Coupled with fewer safety features, motorcycle accidents caused by potholes are very deadly. Cars and truck are also at risk of getting into an auto accident after running over a pothole. With motorcycles, however, the chances of getting into a serious accident when going over a pothole are greatly increased and possibly deadly.”

Tom (15)Justified or not, potholes are rich breeding grounds for personal injury claims against your business. Juries award plaintiffs in settlements that start in the tens of thousands and can often reach the millions even when parties settle out of court.
If the threat of a lawsuit is not enough reason for to maintain a parking lot, loss of business might be another consideration. It is very easy to see how much attention and maintenance a parking lot is getting just by looking at it. Just like you know nobody is mowing a house’s lawn when the grass is high, you know when nobody is taking care of the lot when there are potholes. A well maintained parking lot is the best welcoming mat that a business can invest in.

There are many ways to repair a pothole and depending on the condition will dictate the type of repair needed. Generally 3 different approaches are taken: filling, patching and peel and pave. While there are other methods these 3 are the most common.

“Filling the pothole” consists of removing the loose material around the edges of the hole and then backfilling with asphalt. While inexpensive this type of repair does not last long and does not look good.

Patching is another common asphalt repair in areas where the asphalt has cracked, but the base is still stable, or in areas where potholes have occurred. This process begins by cleaning the repair area and applying a tack coat to help the new asphalt adhere to the existing surface. A layer of asphalt is then installed upon the existing surface; the depth will vary from 1”-2.5” depending on the severity of the existing damage. Patching is a relatively inexpensive solution to asphalt defects. Since the edges are sometimes rebated with a milling machine or a small grinder to make them straight and flush, it is far more aesthetically pleasing than the “fill the pothole” approach. Like “filling” however it is generally not a very durable repair.

Asphalt removal and replacement or as we call it “peel & pave” is another common repair. The repair is often prescribed for areas with cracking and or base/failure. This process begins by saw cutting the perimeter of the repair area in order to achieve a clean edge. After the edges are saw cut, the existing asphalt is removed to the depth specified. Typically the new asphalt is installed in 2 lifts; a binder course usually at 3” is followed by a 1” top course. The depth of repair will vary dependent upon the extent of existing damage, and/or the load requirements needed to be met. By adding up to 10 times more life span than patch work, asphalt removal & replacement is often a very cost effective fix for your surface’s distressed areas.

For more information about patching please visit our webpage: http://www.pavesouth.com/repair.php

Find Your Paving Solution
worker in parking lot
What's Best
For Your Lot
Do you need all new asphalt or will fresh sealcoating do the trick?
Learn More
pouring asphalt
how we
do paving
Our experts manage every last detail so your project goes smoothly.
Learn More
child smiling
we're granting
a child's wish!
A portion of our proceeds this year will go toward the Make-A-Wish® Foundation.
Learn More
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
Our Partners