Since the beginning of this week, Twitter in Uganda has been awash with photos of Kampala roads having potholes of every depth, width, shape, and degree of road user damage in what was termed as the Kampala pothole exhibition.
The demonstration was started by writer, and cartoonist Dr. Spire Sentongo who felt it was high time authorities, especially at Kampala Capital City Authority are made "aware" of the mess the roads in Kampala are in .
The feedback was overwhelming with images and videos of roads with potholes from different locations by the members of the public flooding the internet as the Kampala pothole exhibition trended.
In this week's episode, we will take a dive and swim our readers through the precautionary measures and car care tips every driver and road user need to take to reduce damage to cars, maintain optimum usability and reduce costs of repairs because of interfacing with these potholes and drainages.
Plan your route
If possible, plan your route to avoid these pothole-infested roads. If necessary, use GPS or online maps to find alternative routes that are less likely to have potholes.
Avoid roads that have been under construction for long periods, as they are more likely to have potholes. Planning your route can help to reduce the degree of exposure to and the impact of potholes on your car and eventually keep you safe on the road longer without any emergency garage visits.
Drive carefully
Driving carefully is essential when driving on pothole-infested roads. Slow down and avoid driving over potholes when possible. If you cannot avoid a pothole, try to reduce your speed, and drive over it slowly.
Driving aggressively on pothole-infested roads can cause damage to the car's suspension and increase the likelihood of accidents.
Keep a safe distance
Maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles can help to prevent accidents caused by dodging the potholes.
When driving on such roads, try to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. If the car in front of you hits a pothole, it can cause debris to fly up and hit your car, causing damage to the windshield or other parts of the car.
You may also not know there's one ahead of you and end up tailgating because the driver ahead has slammed brakes in an emergency maneuver.
Avoid standing water
Standing water can hide the magnitude of potholes and make them more difficult to spot. Avoid driving through standing water, if possible, especially if you are unsure of the depth of the water.
At the very worst if you must drive into the pool, reduce speed even when you are familiar with the road because you can't tell the extent of size increase if it's puddled up.
Inspect your tyres and check their pressure
Maintaining proper tire pressure is crucial when driving on pothole-infested roads. Underinflated tires can damage the wheels, tires, and suspension, while overinflated tires can cause blowouts.
It's important to actively keep an eye on the tire pressure and inflate them to the recommended pressure specified in the car owner's manual.
Also avoid using filling stations that do not have a well calibrated digital tyre pressure gauges since you are more than sure that you won't get the correct pressure in.
While at it, carefully inspect the tires to maintaining your car's safety and longevity.
Check for any cuts, bulges, or punctures that may have been caused by the potholes. If you find any damage to the tires, replace them immediately to avoid accidents and or road emergencies.
Be alert
Always stay alert and focused when driving on pothole-infested roads. Look out for potholes and other hazards like speed humps, narrowed road curbs, stones and debris on the road, and be prepared to take evasive action if necessary.
Get regular suspension checks and wheel alignments
Getting regular checks and alignment is essential to ensuring that your car's suspension is in proper condition as designed.
With consistent and persistent hitting of these potholes, the car's suspension system will take the beating and eventually start going amiss.
This will call for suspension checks and if all is fine, dose it up with a precautionary wheel alignment.
When the suspension is not aligned correctly, it can cause uneven tire wear and aggravates damage to the car's suspension since the tyres aren't attacking the edges of the holes correctly at every impact.
Use high-quality shock absorbers and suspension parts
High-quality shock absorbers and suspension parts can help to reduce the impact of the potholes on the car's suspension.
When the bushes, links and shock absorbers are functioning correctly, they help to absorb the impact of potholes, protecting the car's sprung mass and preventing damage to chassis mounting points and related components.
Wash your car regularly
Washing your car regularly will help to prevent rust and corrosion caused by water splashes and stone chipping to the car's paint and undercarriage scrubs.
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When these stone chips and body paint damages go unnoticed, they eventually lead to rust and corrosion.
Regular car wash will help to expose, identify, and alarm on the need to have these fixed and the value or age of the car well preserved with corrective actions.
Rotate your tires
Regular tire rotations can help to extend the life of your tires and prevent uneven wear. This also allows the tires that have been at the front attacking these potholes to take a rest at the back.
This controls and apportions the uneven wear and damages on tires in form of cuts, bulges, and punctures.
When tires wear unevenly, it can as well cause vibrations, which can be uncomfortable for passengers, and eventually cause additional strain on the suspension.
With these skills and tips under every driver's sleeve, we believe we'll be able to drive through these streets more safely for longer and keep out of frequent garage visits which are not only financially draining but also time-consuming.
OKELLO SAMUEL
