New Jersey's War on Potholes

If you're a Jersey driver, it's not news to you that there's an issue with potholes statewide. And it's a really, really big problem, especially for those of us who live along the coast. A crowd sourced map was recently released by Jersey Shore Hurricane News and Vertices New Jersey to show just how many are littering our state:

Part of the issue can be attributed to the cold weather and the multitudes of snow plows it has taken to combat the unheard-of amount of snow we've gotten this winter. Also because of the weather, a lot of asphalt plants have shut down, meaning there's limited access to hot-patch asphalt needed for making repairs.

"Here in Cape May County, they're using cold-patch asphalt to fix some of the holes, but it's only a temporary fix," says the team at Gentilini Motors, a Chevy dealer located in Woodbine. Along with selling new vehicles, the company makes repairs on cars with pothole damage. "We don't want our customers to withstand any damage to their brand new cars." 

The Damage

New Jersey is quickly and not-so-endearingly becoming known as the Pothole State, and with good reason. A quick glance over local news shows us that these holes in the road aren't just inconvenient – they're dangerous.

One driver named Carol Bayard, for example, was driving up the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bergen County when she hit a pothole in her Mercedes Benz. In an interview with CBS, she said, "I don't even know how I survived."  After hitting the rut, she and her vehicle were sent flying through the median, crashing into a tree, then being spun into oncoming traffic. She was rushed to the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Doctors there told her that she's one of many who have been admitted to the hospital due to pothole-related car accidents.

Another driver, this time in South Jersey's Pennsauken, claims he hit a chain of potholes. The final pothole, the largest of them all, caused three of his airbags to deploy. Along with damage to two of his tires, two rims, and the interior panels, his mechanic estimates there is about $5,000 worth of damage.

The Fight

The Department of Transportation finally decided in late February that it was time to escalate the action being taken against these street craters before even more drivers withstand expensive – and extremely dangerous – damage. The DOT, which typically repairs about 160,000 potholes per year, claims to have filled 100,000 in just the past five months. The DOT is also purchasing asphalt to make repairs to entire stretches of roadway.

Drivers are urged to report potholes by calling 1-800-POTHOLE.

What you can Do

Many of us are probably familiar with all the landmark potholes along the routes of our daily commutes. Here are some tips for pothole safety. 

• As always, don't drive too closely to other vehicles to make it easy to spot and avoid potholes before it's too late.
• If you can't avoid a pothole, slow down before you hit it. Don't brake while you're already hitting a pothole, however, as this could cause more damage.
• If you realize you are about to hit a pothole, hold the steering wheel firmly to avoid losing control.
• Drive through puddles of water slowly and cautiously, as there could be deep potholes hidden underneath.

Your car may already have damage from hitting a pothole without you even knowing it. Here are some signs you need to get your vehicle checked out.

• Uneven tire wear
• Low tire pressure
• Dents in tire rims
• Shaking or swaying during turns
• Bottoming out frequently

If you do find that your car is affected by pothole damage, it's important to go to a trusted company for repairs so that all the problems are diagnosed and fixed to avoid problems down the road. Though Gentilini Motors is a dealership, they perform repairs on any make and model vehicle, and have state-of-the-art facilities, including their brand new Chevy Store.