DETRPOT – It's time for pothole repairs and the headache that comes along with them. The good news? A spokesman for Belle Tire says this year hasn't been that bad.
"I would say last year was definitely worse than this year, in terms of the pothole damage we're seeing," Belle Tire's Ryan Scaglione said.
How bad potholes are depends on how bad the winter was.
"When all the water that seeps into the roadway starts to freeze, it also expands. When it expands, it starts to break up that roadway," Scaglione said. "Then, the vehicles driving up and down the road every single day also continue to break up the roadway till it forms into a pothole."
If you've hit one, you know the repairs can be costly.
Scaglione said repairs can range from something as simple as a new tire to hundreds of dollars in rim and body fixes.
So what should you do when driving on pothole-filled roads?
First, Scaglione suggests not to swerve to try to miss a pothole if you are approaching it too quickly.
"Only because you've got to be aware of the cars around you and your surroundings," he said. "You don't want to get in an accident."
Instead, you should slow down and ease off the break if you can't avoid hitting it head on.
"What you never want to do is break hard or accelerate hard going into the pothole because what that does is really enhances the impact when you hit the pothole," Scaglione said.
Another tip, even before you're on the road, check your tire pressure.
If you do hit a pothole? Pull over in a safe place and look over your car.
"It's important that you check your alignment afterwards to make sure that you're not going to do any damage by having your vehicle misaligned," Scaglione said.