HITTING potholes — it happens to every driver every day. You are going down a perfectly good road, suddenly there is a pothole in front of you. The traffic on the road does not allow you to move either left or right to avoid the pothole. You step hard on the brakes. The car slams into the pothole. The impact can be so hard, it can make the driver wince. You feel sorry for the car and may even apologise for treating it so badly. You should!

There is nothing you can do to avoid potholes, but you can be gentle on the car. The natural reaction when you approach a pothole that you cannot avoid is to brake hard. If you keep your foot on the brake, the car with its wheels locked, will, in all probability, slam into the pothole, the opposite side of which may be rough and sharp. This could damage the tyre and may also bend the rim. Some cars have notoriously weak rims. You could damage either the suspension or the steering or both.

While negotiating a pothole you should release the brakes at the last moment of impact. This will allow the wheel to roll into and out of the pothole. This is far better than slamming into the pothole.

Having braked hard, you have slowed down considerably. This helps. It further helps to roll out of the traps that the road department very thoughtfully engineers at selected spots. Rolling out, rather than slamming into a pothole, will minimise damage. Also, if you keep rolling and moving rather than come to a dead halt, your chances of getting rammed by a vehicle coming behind you will be considerably less.

If you hit the pothole so hard that you say "Ouch", pull over to the side of the road. A visual inspection will tell you if anything has gone wrong. Is the tyre okay? Is the car sitting evenly? These are the things to look out for. A peek under the bonnet would be a good idea. The battery, if not secured properly, may have become loose. This happens very often. As part of your weekly car check, examine the battery electrolyte and make sure it is secured fast.

In cars of a bygone era it was possible for the chassis to flex and when this happened the radiator would touch the fan. The fan whizzing around at a high speed, like the blades of a food processor, will chew up the radiator. Check for this.

If all looks well, drive off slowly, keeping an ear open for noises. Any damage will, in all probability, make itself heard. Listen for scrapping sounds or grunts. While driving, does the car pull to one side? This is a sure sign that something has been damaged.

Your first stop should be at a mechanic, who will assess the damage. The damage that going through a pothole can inflict on a car can be extreme and dangerous. The car may not be in a road-worthy condition. Check it out.

There is a positive side to this. Cars these days come with some of the best and toughest suspensions. These are not easily damaged. The steering has a very high safety factor. Radial tyres also absorb some of the impact. Your shock absorbers are, of course, designed for just this occasion.

Chances are that you won’t suffer any damage. But no harm checking.

Happy motoring!