roads – Traffic School Online

This past weekend I traveled out of town to visit some family and friends. What was otherwise a pleasant commute on a clear, sunny day soon became a nuisance as I steered around a bunch of pesky potholes. It felt like I was driving through an obstacle course at times, carefully avoiding all those small divots in the roadway. All the while, I couldn’t help but think: Why doesn’t someone do something about all these darn potholes? These roads have been a mess for a while. What’s taking so long to fix them?

If you’ve ever asked yourself a similar question–and I’m willing to bet you have–then you’ll find the following information interesting! First, let’s take a look at how potholes are formed…

What Causes Potholes

There are many reasons that potholes form in the road. One such reason occurs when sunlight, heat, and constant traffic create cracks in the asphalt road surface. This allows rainwater and snow to seep through the cracks into the gravel underneath the asphalt. When temperatures drop, such as they do in the evenings, the water freezes, expanding and pushing back dirt and debris. Then, when the water melts, it creates gaps underneath the asphalt. As vehicles continue to drive over these gaps, the covering asphalt eventually collapses and creates a pothole.

Screenshot from MDOT’s Birth of a Pothole, April 2004

Some other pothole causes include, but are not limited to:

Substandard roadway construction and repair
Weather effects
Wearing from heavy traffic
Vehicle accidents
Diesel fuel spillage
Fire or extreme heat

How to Deal with Potholes

The best way to handle a pothole is to avoid it if you are safely able to do so. Unfortunately, as I experienced this past weekend, that is not always possible. So what do you do when you can’t maneuver around those vexing road craters? Is it better to drive over them even though you’ll probably experience a rocky ride? Or is it best to turn around and find a detour? There isn’t any standard correct answer; it depends on the situation at hand. However, some general tips can help you decide the best approach to take when you encounter a pothole on the road. But first, let’s take a look at what risks potholes present to us drivers.

Pothole Risks

Potholes present a huge threat to drivers on the road and are considered one of the top causes of car accidents!
When driving over potholes, your vehicle bumps and jerks uncontrollably. This can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles and get into an accident.
Driving over potholes also strains your vehicle’s suspension and shocks which absorb most of that sudden impact. Enough strain can ruin your suspension system, shocks, and tires, and knock your car out of alignment.
Water and snow can fill potholes, masking potential hazards lying underneath. Additionally, water and snow can cause more damage to your vehicle.

Driving over potholes can be a huge risk for your vehicle, as well as your well-being and the well-being of other drivers and pedestrians. You should attempt to avoid driving directly over potholes when you are safely able to do so. Use all of your mirrors and check for other vehicles, pedestrians, and other road hazards before driving around a pothole. The last thing you want to do is get into an accident because you recklessly swerved to avoid a pothole. But you won’t always be able to avoid a pothole. Here are some tips for how to handle such an unavoidable situation:

Tips for Encountering a Pothole

If you have to drive over a pothole, slow down beforehand. Reducing speed will decrease the potential shock and damage caused by the bumpiness. Also, do not brake directly over the pothole as this can cause more damage.
While driving over a pothole, hold your steering wheel securely with two hands and keep your wheels straight ahead.
Leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles and pedestrians.
Prepare ahead of time by making sure your tires are properly inflated. This can help protect your tires from damage, as well as reduce some of the jarring impact.
Be especially wary if a pothole is filled with snow or water. You never know just how deep it is or if there are other hazards underneath.
If you can’t avoid a pothole, and you think it’s best not to drive directly over it, your best bet would be to turn around and find a detour. It’s better to retreat and drive a bit further than to have your car broken down on the side of the road. Trust me!

Reporting Potholes for Repair

So we now know how to handle our brief encounters with potholes, but that only helps us adapt to the problem instead of working to fix it. The problem remains: the pothole is still there. If you’re like me, you’ve complained plenty about how horrible some of our roads are, wondering why no one has fixed them yet. Well, guess what: it is your responsibility as a driver to help by reporting these roadway hazards so they can be repaired. I suggest contacting your city’s Department of Transportation and Public Works and reporting the pothole. Where I live, in Santa Rosa, California, our city has a “Pothole Repair Hotline” and they state that they depend “largely on residents to report potholes” and that they work on “repairing [potholes] within one business day of being notified.”

If you don’t report troublesome or hazardous potholes, how can you expect them to be fixed? Don’t rely on someone else to report the problem; contact your local government’s transportation department and help fix your city streets. Every city will have its policy for repairing the roads. They might not have a 24-hour timeline like Santa Rosa does, but one thing is certain: if you don’t report the problem, you can’t expect it to get better. Do your part: report those potholes!

The Process of Repairing Potholes

Once reported, how exactly do workers fix these potholes? There are two categories for pothole repair: temporary repair and semi-permanent repair.

Temporary repair is a quick solution to potholes, but, as the name suggests, doesn’t last as long as the other option. This type of repair is often called the “throw-and-roll” repair. It generally uses a cold mix asphalt patching compound to fill the pothole. This cold mix is faster than using hot asphalt because it quickly hardens into a strong asphalt patch. This can be done year-round since it doesn’t require any heating or special rolling machines, as opposed to more permanent repair types that generally do. This temporary fix is a quick year-round option for cities and residents to patch potholes, but it might not be as long-lasting as other options because it’s just applying a patch to a hole instead of actually repairing any of the actual road damage.

The semi-permanent repair option takes more time and resources, but it’s considered one of the best options for pothole repair, other than replacing a whole roadway. There are a few stages for this option:

Remove all water and debris from the pothole.
Use a saw to cut along the sides of the patch area to ensure that the sides of the patch are in sound pavement.
Apply a hot or cold patch mix to the patch area.
Use a compacting device to roll over the patch area, sealing and securing it.

A common alternative to the semi-permanent repair option is the spray-injection repair. This is generally a faster option but requires specialized equipment to perform. It is also considered to be the “most economical and longest-lasting method of pothole repair” by the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). Here’s how it’s done:

Remove all debris and water from the pothole.
Use a spray-injection device to apply a tack coat of binder on the bottom and sides of the pothole.
Workers blow asphalt and aggregate into the pothole and cover the patch area with a final layer of aggregate for sealing.
No compaction is required.

Each of these options can vary in time and equipment required for completion. Options like the “throw-and-roll” repair might take longer than other options because it requires actual manpower, but it doesn’t require any special equipment or weather conditions, making it a viable option in practically any situation. Other options can be done much faster–the spray injection repair can be completed in as little as one minute–but they require special equipment to complete which can delay the overall repair time while parts are being ordered or transported.

There is no perfect solution to potholes. Fortunately, multiple options work in many different situations and environments.

In Closing…

Potholes are annoying and can be dangerous, but now you know the best way to handle them. You also have a better idea of the process workers go through to repair potholes, as well as your responsibility as a driver to report those potholes when you see them. So when you see a pothole, don’t just avoid and forget it, leaving it for another driver to deal with. Report it and be part of the solution. That’s the best option for everyone!

Happy driving, folks!

How does your city rank for traffic congestion? You might be surprised at the number of hours you spend stuck in traffic each year. The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard has analyzed and ranked traffic congestion in 1,064 cities across 38 countries, in the largest ever study of its kind. Their aim was to determine both the financial impact of traffic congestion and the number of hours the average driver spends in traffic each year.

In this global study, 3 of the top 4 worst cities in the world for traffic were in the U.S., with Los Angeles coming in at the number 1 spot. They estimate that the financial cost of traffic congestion to the average Los Angeles Driver in 2016 was $2,408, totaling $9.7 billion for the entire city. Not to mention that on average, Angelenos each spent 104 hours sitting in traffic in 2016. New York, San Francisco, and Atlanta weren’t far behind, with 89, 83, and 71 hours respectively — each of these cities incurring upwards of $2.5 billion in costs relating to traffic congestion.

The study’s cost calculations involve the value of fuel and time wasted, as well as indirect costs of freight and company vehicles idling in traffic, which translate into higher prices for household goods.

Though the residents of these cities may spend a staggering amount of time stuck in traffic over a lifetime of commuting, and endure the associated financial costs, high levels of traffic congestion are an indication of a thriving economy. As lawmakers and private companies alike work to ease the gridlock and traffic congestion burdening drivers, progress is being made in the form of studies like this one, which provide insight into specific problem areas and budget prioritization. Understanding when and where congestion is worst, and exactly how bad it is, can be considered the first crucial step in solving the dilemma.

Though the research, diagnosis, and correction of these issues is a long and daunting task for government and transportation officials; there are things that every driver can do now to help reduce the effects of traffic congestion on their time and wallets. Simple strategies include taking advantage of carpooling to share expenses, or planning routes in advance to reduce time spent in traffic. You can use strategies to reduce other driving-related costs and reclaim some of the costs lost to traffic. Shopping insurance quotes regularly, taking safe driver courses to reduce insurance costs, and using fuel perks or reward cards can all help to negate the cost of traffic congestion and free up hundreds of extra dollars annually for drivers.

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As the traffic volume has increased, so has the likelihood of vehicular-related injuries or vehicle collisions. In residential areas, traffic flow peaks during common times of travel – mornings, when families drive to work or school, after-school pickup hours, and the rush hour after most 9-5 facilities close. Sometimes the density of traffic is so great that manual monitoring of speed compliance becomes challenging. In 1983, the first use of speed humps was approved for use in the United States in order to motivate vehicles to drive less than 30 miles per hour in designated areas. Because they act to regulate speed passively, they are sometimes referred to as “sleeping policemen.”

What is a Speed Bump?

A speed bump is a small raised area in a road, typically 3-4 inches in height and 1-3 feet in length. They are designed to compel vehicles to slow their speed to 15-20 miles an hour in order to cross without discomfort to the driver or damage to the vehicle. In residential areas, speed humps are often installed, which are similar in height to speed bumps but quite a bit longer.

Speed Bumps and Crash Rates

Speed bumps have been shown to reduce the frequency of several factors associated with collisions. A study by the Portland Bureau of Transportation found that annual crash frequency decreased by 39% on streets that had been treated with speed bumps. Moreover, the number of injuries sustained in the crashes on treated streets was reduced by 46%, making any crashes that did occur less severe than they may otherwise have been.

Speed Bumps and Pedestrian Safety

One of the greatest benefits of installing speed bumps in residential areas is the increased safety it provides to pedestrians. According to the American Journal of Public Health, children are especially susceptible, with automobile collisions responsible for the greatest number of deaths of American children aged 5-14. It was found that installing a speed bump is associated with a 53%-60% reduction in injury or death in neighborhood children struck by a vehicle. Because the most severe injuries are often related to vehicles exceeding the speed limit, the installation of speed bumps helps to ensure that drivers abide by the posted speeds.

Installation of Speed Bumps

Whether speed bumps can be installed locally is determined by policies that vary statewide. Typically, there are a series of measures that must be met for a street to be approved: a minimum traffic volume, such as 500 vehicles, must pass on the street per day, and the majority of vehicles must be traveling at a certain speed bracket, such at 85% traveling at or below 35 miles per hour. These measures ensure that speed bumps will be installed in relatively high-volume areas that require moderately slow speeds.

If a street in a local neighborhood meets the city’s requirements but does not currently have a speed bump installed, a citizen can contact the local traffic division with a request to review the street. The city must ensure that the street is not on a primary route for emergency responders, such as the Fire Department, and then the request must be signed by a number of other residents. The street is then subjected to data analysis to ensure that the city’s volume and speed measures are met. If the street falls within the required parameters, installation is likely to be approved.

Speed bumps are an effective way to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions, improve pedestrian safety, and passively reduce the number of vehicles exceeding the recommended speed limits. In areas with fairly high traffic and especially in residential settings where children are likely to play, the installation of speed bumps can dramatically improve the safety of pedestrians and motorists alike.

◉ What’s the Deal with All These Potholes?

Tag: roads