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Those potholes that pop up every spring in Minnesota can lead to some expensive repair bills, leading us to spend an insane amount of money.

Potholes popping up on roads and highways are as much a part of Spring in Minnesota as seeing your first robin or Mother Nature dumping a big snowstorm on us during the state high school basketball tournaments.

They can also be responsible for some really expensive repair bills if you hit one hard enough to cause damage to our vehicle. That's the word from AAA's Minnesota-Iowa office in Burnsville, anyway. They estimate that 28 million Americans have had an expensive auto repair after hitting a pothole.

 

And, those potholes are responsible for a lot of damage here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes alone: Check out the numbers we're talking about when it comes from damage caused by potholes on Minnesota roads:

A new survey from AAA found that last year 1 in 10 drivers sustained vehicle damage significant enough to warrant a repair after hitting a pothole. With an average price tag of almost $600 per repair, damage caused by potholes cost U.S. drivers a staggering $26.5 billion in 2021 alone.

Sometimes, hitting a pothole is unavoidable. But not always. AAA-Minnesota/Iowa has some tips on how to keep your vehicle in top shape to help avoid those potholes (and expensive repairs) as your drive across the North Star State this Spring. (And speaking of expensive, keep scrolling to check out former Vikings GM Rick Spielman's pricey house, for sale now in Minnesota!)

+ Scan the road ahead for potholes and if it’s safe to do so, drive around any in your path.
+ Standing water or puddles may disguise a deep pothole. Avoid driving through standing water when possible but if you can’t, drive through slowly and treat them as though there may be potholes hiding beneath the water.
+ There may be times when you cannot avoid hitting a pothole. In that case, safely reduce your speed as much as possible and avoid braking abruptly, particularly as you go over the pothole as this compresses your suspension and adds extra force to the tire.
+ Striking a pothole at higher speeds increases the chance of severe damage including knocking the wheels out of alignment, affecting the steering, and bending or even breaking suspension components.
+ If you hit a pothole, pay attention to any new or unusual noises or vibrations. If you detect something is off with your vehicle, take it to a trusted repair facility for a full vehicle inspection as soon as possible.

Listen to Curt St. John in the Morning
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Check Out Former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman's Home

The Eden Prairie home where former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman lived is now for sale.

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