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Potholes may come off as annoying to most car drivers and even cause them to lose temporary control of their vehicles. For motorcyclists, though, they can be particularly dangerous.
Motorcycles weigh far less than cars.They also only have the two wheels, one in front of another. They lack safety features that enclosed vehicles have, whether we’re talking about airbags or reinforced frames. Without these, it makes it difficult for motorcyclists to protect themselves from becoming severely injured or dying if they strike a pothole.
When it comes to potholes, one paving industry expert likens them to someone’s grass. They note that how green and well manicured someone else’s lawn is sends a message to others how much effort and care they put in to how they do things. They hold that how well someone maintains the pavement on a roadway or parking lot can viewed similarly.
With potholes, there are three primary fixes for them. A public works agency or property owner may simply choose to fill the hole once they realize there’s a problem. The big issue with simply filling a pothole is that it’s truly a temporary fix. Pieces of asphalt may begin to break off within days. A second option for resolving potholes involves patching the spot. To do this, the damage area is often cleared so it can be assessed for stability. Asphalt is then applied at a depth of as much as 2.5 inches to fill it in. This process often leaves raised pavement over where the original road existed, making it easy to dislodge it. It doesn’t tend to last long either.
The third and final option for handling potholes is to peel and pave the area. The peeling part of this process involves a perimeter being cut around the pothole. The pave involves new pavement being put down so that it stays flush with what already existed in the area.
Although the peel and pave process is significantly more expensive than the other two, it’s a longer lasting resolution, and it greatly reduces any potential road hazards for motorcyclists.
If you’ve been involved in a motorbike crash as a result of having struck a pothole, then a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney can advise you of your right to sue the city for the injuries you suffered.
Source: Raleigh Paving, “Potholes: Unforeseen cause of car accidents,” accessed Feb. 16, 2018