Communities Need Better Pothole Repairs

Carjunky
Published September 11, 2008

Some states only experience two seasons instead of the usual four -; winter and pothole repair season. Potholes present a growing problem for communities. Rough roads wear down tires and ruin vehicles' alignments, making cars more dangerous to drive. Potholes can endanger cyclists, who might drive closer to traffic to avoid rough patches, or fall. Senior citizens and mothers with strollers can find it difficult to walk on chewed-up roads, making towns less pedestrian-friendly. A study of U.S. highways suggested that vehicle repairs for damage caused by potholes and other hazardous road conditions cost the population $4.8 billion annually. According to a 1997 report from the Environmental Working Group and Surface Transportation Policy Project, this is nearly four times the $1.3 billion spent on road repairs by state highway departments each year. Click here to read this post.