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🕳️ Pothole Avoidance & Management
🟢 Public Lesson
This lesson is safe for students, parents, and general viewers.
Potholes are like surprise speed bumps that break stuff. The goal isn’t to swerve like a pinball, it’s to spot early, plan smoothly, and protect your tires and suspension.
🎥 Watch: How to Drive Over Potholes (short explainer)
▶️ Click to expand video
✅ The 3-step habit: See • Signal • Smooth
- See early: Scan 10–15 seconds ahead (especially near drains, bridge joints, and patched asphalt).
- Signal your plan: If you need to change position or lane, check mirrors, shoulder check, signal, then move.
- Smooth inputs: Gentle steering and steady speed beat last-second jerks every time.
🧠 Positioning tricks (without drifting into danger)
- In your lane, aim to place the pothole between your wheels when possible.
- Keep a safe “escape cushion” from the car beside you so you’re not trapped.
- Avoid riding the curb line where holes love to hide.
🚫 What NOT to do
- Don’t swerve into another lane or toward oncoming traffic to “save the tire.”
- Don’t slam the brakes right on the pothole. Hard braking shifts weight forward and can increase impact damage.
- Don’t tailgate. Following too close blocks your view and steals your reaction time.
✅ If you can’t avoid it
- Ease off the accelerator (early), keep the wheel straight, and maintain control.
- If safe, light brake before the pothole, then release braking over it (so the tire isn’t overloaded).
- Hold steady, then re-check mirrors afterward in case you need to adjust.
🧰 Quick post-hit check (when you stop safely)
If you hit a pothole hard, watch for: steering pull, vibration, thumping sounds, or a low tire. If anything feels off, slow down and get it checked.
Instructor note: The best pothole avoidance tool is boring but powerful: space ahead. More following distance = more options.