Pothole

A road damage identifies the defective condition of a road pavement. Only damage are considered, which are on the road, but not on the street furniture in the side rooms.

The causes of road damage are diverse, ranging from poor construction to excessive use and harmful environmental influences. Depending on the severity of the damage, different measures of road rehabilitation necessary. Examples are seam remediation and surface treatment.

In Germany there is an official state identification and assessment of roads.

State characteristics

When considering road damage can be distinguished between several features of state:

Ausmagerung and grit loss

In the case of Ausmagerung results in a loss of mortar or bituminous binder in the road surface. The sequence of the split Ausmagerung loss, so the dissolution near the surface of the aggregate due to lack of the binder. Causes of this damage may be a poor bond between the aggregate and the binder may be, so for example a faulty mix composition. However, it is also possible that was not properly compacted during asphalt paving rollers.

Binder enrichment

In the binder enrichment ( also called over-enrichment ) to bituminous binder is deposited due to the traffic load on the road surface. This occurs when the mix has a high binder content and / or a too low void content in the final state.

Outbreak

Outbreaks ( in Germany known colloquially as pothole ) are consequential damage of Frost risers ( bubble-like swellings or columns), in which the edges are broken. Broadened in the course of a few days to weeks and deepens the defect that can go to Frost damage to an extent of about 1 meter height and 20 cm depth. Due to frequent changes of freeze-thaw cycles can occur in a few weeks by Frostaufbrüche up to ankle deep outbreaks in roadways. Frostaufbrüche occur when water can enter through the broken surface of a road surface and the freezing of the ice expansion rupture enlarges these cracks. Also the side or from below water can enter, but which is avoided in an intact road through the frost protective metalling in the superstructure. Particularly often these risers are on side roads when the road damage of recent years have been rehabilitated in some cases only superficially, or on roadways and water-bound ceiling.

Upheaval

The bulge is a bead-like elevation of the road surface in the rolling track edges. This damage occurs only in asphalt pavements and is often as a byproduct of ruts and cracks. By arching the required longitudinal and transverse v. a flatness of the roadway is lost.

• Spalling, especially arise from concrete roadways. There it comes to flaking caused by deficient processing concrete and reinforcement corrosion.
• Cracks in the pavement attachment can have many causes. It is important to distinguish between individual cracks and fissures network. Single cracks occur if the material fatigue, or lying down in tears at the top by beating ( so-called reflective cracking ). Network cracks usually due to high traffic load and low layer thicknesses as well as poor viability of the upper and lower building.
• Open seams are generated when errors on installation of rolled asphalt were made or the joint formation was performed poorly.
• The occurrence of poor grip on road surfaces is related to the polishing of the aggregate or an over-enrichment of the asphalt layer.
• Irregularities and deformations find their cause in too weakly dimensioned road pavements and a lack of bond between layers.
• A lack of water runoff occurs when the drainage facilities of the road not work or run poorly and therefore surface water remains on the roadway.
• Inadequate road markings occur if detach or cancel parts of the road markings and their effect is thus lost.

Consequences for the flow of traffic

The consequences of road damage affects primarily negative impact on the fabric of the street and thus durability. However, there are also damages that can affect and endanger the flow of traffic. When the wheel of a vehicle drives over or into the pothole, it springs from and abruptly at the opposite edge again, from where the name comes from. Quick driving over a deep pothole can cause considerable damage to a vehicle and also accidents, especially in cornering.

The most common damage occurs to the tire on the chassis and the steering. The latter damages are less frequent when the shock absorber function properly.

Although the road maintenance needs to fix any road damage as possible before, but are also the drivers of vehicles required to adapt the driving style to the road conditions. If potholes or other obstacles are to be expected or if traffic signs point to this possibility, the speed must be reduced so far that one "can react in time " also difficult to identify potholes

The " Drive on sight " and the safety margin here mean not only the usual foresight because of other road users, but also their possible reaction to surprising obstacles. With more necessary attention damage to the vehicle and accidents can be avoided as a rule.

Legal and administrative aspects

The construction load of a road has to eliminate the task, road damage in a short time as part of the duty to maintain safety. In this context, the ADAC criticized the slowness and innovation hostility of some in charge leads to the competent authorities that the use of contemporary and rural road rehabilitation methods ( milling of damaged pavement, placing wax -oil additives or polymeric binder in the asphalt and re-application of pavement, etc.) insufficiently comes into play. Because of tight budgets of municipalities as well as the high cost of repair work of small repairs are executed frequently, their frequent Required Will in most cases leads to a completely uneconomic road maintenance. From case to case, increase cornering and in the wet by the patchwork -like touch-ups the risk of accidents, especially for drivers of two-wheelers.

To what extent the liability of the road Sustainer for incurred accidents or damage does, can not be said in general but depends on the surrounding circumstances and the potential associated following driver duties. The road maintenance liable for accidents caused by road damage only in cases of gross negligence or intent - as if he knew of the danger but failed to act. If he receives for the use of road tolls (eg as a motorway toll sticker ), the road maintenance already liable for slight negligence if he can not prove that he is in an accident or damage is not at fault.

A court ruling in Westphalia in 2003 was determined that the roadway must align only to those requirements, for the purposes it was intended. Therefore, the municipality was acquitted of the alleged fault in an accident, the one pedestrian suffered during a fall over a pothole, when she went to her at night against a parked car. Although the municipality must provide a safe condition of the roads for their users, in terms of pedestrian, however. Only for a safe use of sidewalks

To clarify the issue of liability, motorists should document the damage to the car and the road condition at the scene. Photos, testimonies of other road users and the Calling in the police can be helpful. The damage caused to the motor vehicle takes the comprehensive insurance at a pothole accident.