Roadways or driveways, whether made from metal or gravel are bound to have potholes due to excessive heat, rains or vehicle weight. But what may seem as just a common menace can actually be quite a dangerous problem. Dealing with potholes is necessary, as driving safely or just mending the pothole can be costly and hazardous in long run.
These potholes are the cause of most cycling accidents causing some serious injuries and several fatal accidents. In fact, a leading website reports that potholes cause over 15 percent of the accidents on the highways. The road maintenance departments simply mend the holes, rather than dealing with them in ‘planned and cost effective manner.’
Recent highlights showed that if riders inform the local authorities about these nasty potholes and still no action is taken against the crucial problem, then for any injury or damage the rider(s) is/are entitled to compensation. Nevertheless, instead of fighting for the legal rights and regularly falling prey to these potholes, it’s always better to find different ways to tackle this problem.
Here are some of the tips and tricks that can be put into effect to deal with potholes. Planned usage of these strategies would ensure that the menace is dealt economically. In case you can’t use these strategies on roads, you can use them in your driveways.
- The first and foremost task is to dig out all the loosely attached gravel with a shovel.
- With the help of a broom or vacuum cleaner, clean up the hole and make sure there is no loose gravel or the repair won’t bond well.
- Once cleaned up, the next step is to give a spray with hose. Ensure that the pothole isn’t flooded with water. You only need to keep it wet enough to let the dust settle.
- Fill the clean and damp hole with asphalt cold patch about ½ inches above the surface.
- Now firmly tamp the patch down to about 4” by 4” and make sure that the tamping is done properly to compact the cold patch or it will deteriorate quickly, consequently posing a problem again.
- It may be difficult to make the patch in 4” by 4”. So, there are many ready-made tools always available in several home maintenance stores to assist you.
- Finally, you need to throw some sand or sweep some amount of dust so that tamping blends well. Also, do not walk on it until it is dry.
Pothole fixing can seem to be messy, but when done properly it will save you and your loved ones from injuries. All the materials required for pothole fixing are easily available in the garage and the cold patch will cost only a few bucks. The whole process all together is quite a good payback, ensuring cleaner and safer road.
