POTHOLES might be the scapegoat for bad driving after Orange attracted the second-highest number of roadside assistance callouts for tyre and rim-related problems.
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The NRMA statistics revealed 75 calls for roadside assistance across the Orange region in April and May.
It placed second in regional NSW behind Port Macquarie on 124 callouts, while Marrickville and Blacktown were the worst-performing suburbs in Sydney.
While wet weather was blamed for potholes in coastal areas, Orange was dry during the period.
The NRMA’s Peter Khoury said there were multiple reasons behind depleting roads and regional areas were particularly vulnerable because councils were responsible for 80 per cent of their road networks.
“It really comes down to geography and traffic volumes, more than anything,” he said.
However, Tyrepower Orange owner Dave Varian said potholes did not account for the majority of the business’s tyre repair jobs.
“A lot of it’s tradesmen’s screws, there are a lot of punctures from that,” he said.
“Eight or nine out of 10 punctures would be from screws on the road.”
Mr Varian said kerb collisions also accounted for several jobs, in addition to four-wheel drives with punctures from weekend off-road activities.
“There haven’t been as many potholes around like there were last year when it was really bad,” he said.
“A lot of people don’t realise how deep a pothole can be and they drive straight through it.”
He said in many cases, drivers did not realise they had done damage until days or even a month after an incident.
Jax Tyres owner Alan Sharp agreed, saying during last winter’s wet weather, his store was repairing a cracked rim a day.
“Now it’s more like one a week,” he said.
“In the middle of last year, a plumber dropped a box of tap washers and we pulled out 15 to 20 of them over a couple of days.”
Mr Sharp also said drivers tended to run into median strips.
“You can see the marks – even if you’re doing 40km/h and you collide with a median strip, it damages the car,” he said.
Orange City Council spokesman Nick Redmond said the number of potholes reported slowed considerably by the NRMA’s reporting period.
“By April and May this year, Orange City Council’s strategy of repairs and maintenance had addressed the vast majority of road damage issues that were triggered by last year’s record rainfall in June, July and September,” he said.
He suggested high visitation could have contributed to the number of callouts and $16 million was due to be spent on roads in the 2017-18 financial year.
Mr Khoury said it was encouraging the state government had allocated $1 billion this year to help councils with their roads and it was up to councils to take advantage of the money.
Mr Varian said drivers could prevent damage to their tyres by keeping them at the right pressures, taking care on the road and regular wheel balances and alignments.