Indiana drivers aren’t only ones suffering from pothole problems. In a study released by AAA Auto Club in 2017, they found that those craters and tire rim bending holes across the nation cost drivers nearly $3 billion a year, with most drivers reporting some kind of damage to their vehicle at least three times in a year.
AAA reports that the average costs to repair one’s vehicle is about $300 per repair. And those incidents aren’t just prevalent during winter months but all year-long with drivers battling road break downs during winter and construction during the summer months.
“In the last five years, 16 million drivers across the country have suffered pothole damage to their vehicles,” John Nielsen, AAA’s Managing Director of Automotive Engineering and Repair, said in a statement.
AAA said the finding comes as two-thirds of U.S. residents reported in a poll that was conducted by the organization that they are worried about potholes damaging their cars.
The group said fears about pothole damage were most prevalent among drivers who reported having an income of less than $75,000 per year.
Congress passed a $305 billion dollar highway bill in 2015 that is supposed to last till 2020 but AAA officials say that more is needed to keep up.
“Americans rely on our nation’s roads and bridges every day, and more funding is desperately needed to prevent potholes, other unsafe conditions and longer commutes,” AAA continued. “Congress increased transportation funding in 2015 to help pay for road repair, but as much as $170 billion in additional funding is needed per year to significantly improve America’s roads and bridges.”
