Beware South Africa’s potholes this festive season

MasterDrive – a local driver training provider – has warned motorists to expect an increased number of potholes during their festive season travels.

This is thanks to increased rainfall levels across South Africa in recent weeks.

Waterlogged roads, when combined with the increased traffic of the festive season, are likely to result in roads deteriorating more rapidly.

As a result, South African drivers must take proactive steps to protect their vehicles and families.

“Pothole survival starts before you even leave,” said MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert.

“Check your tyre pressure as underinflated tyres are more susceptible to pothole impacts. Look for existing damage, bulges, or worn treads.”

Herbert added that drivers should complete their yearly balancing and wheel alignments as a priority ahead of their travels.

This is because an unbalanced and poorly aligned vehicle will generally suffer more severe damage from pothole impacts.

“Check your spare tyre is in good condition and that your jack, wheel spanner, and puncture repair spray is there,” said Herbert.

“If you have run flats, remember their limitations: you can travel at a maximum of 80km/h for approximately 80km.”

Herbert also said that South African drivers must adapt their driving style to account for the increased number of potholes on South African roads.

He suggested the following precautions:

• Maintain an adequate following distance, and increase your following distance if you know there are many potholes where you are driving.
• When driving, make sure you are looking 12 seconds ahead of your current position on the road. This will give you extra time to react to any obstacles or issues ahead of time.
• If you see multiple other vehicles making uncommon movements, pay extra attention – as they may be dodging potholes or obstacles.
• Don’t speed, and don’t drive recklessly – as this is even more dangerous on potholed roads.
• Don’t only watch your lane – also watch the lanes next to you, as drivers may swerve into your lane to avoid potholes.
• Be cautious of suddenly swerving into another lane yourself, as this poses a risk to other road users.
• If you do hit a pothole, be vigilant for the common signs of damage – vibrations, pulling to one side, and unusual noises.

Reporting potholes

Herbert also urged South African drivers to report the major potholes they encounter.

One opportunity to do this is through the Gauteng Department of Transport’s app, called PotholeFixGP.

However, the app has been downloaded less than 20,000 times – which Herbert noted to be “quite low” given Gauteng has a population of 16.1 million.

“With over 5,000km of roads in the province, it is unlikely there were less than 40,000 potholes over the last three years,” Herbert noted.

Other tools you can use to report potholes include:

• Vala Zonke – SANRAL’s national app.
• The Pothole Patrol App – This tool includes a WhatsApp line (084 768 4653) for reporting potholes in Johannesburg.
• JRA App (Find & Fix) – This can be used to report all faulty infrastructure, including road issues.
• C3 Service Delivery App – for drivers in Cape Town.
• Fault Reporting Tool – For drivers in eThekwini.

“MasterDrive encourages all road users to download these apps and report issues to create safer festive season journeys,” said Herbert.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility and together motorists can make great strides in improving road safety.”

“Helps change the situation, rather than simply complaining about road infrastructure.”