Bad Roads - How Much Damage Does It Cause Us

Driving  in urban center and highly populated metropolis could be hectic. You are already aware of the great quantity of time wasted in traffic and how much you pay for it on gas (fuel). And you actually recognize that rough road conditions is like its constant features. However, you may not realize that those rough roads kills your car and drains your pocket. How is that so?

The Amount of money spent for vehicle maintenance are based on road quality and average amount of travel. Since about 74% of the roads are rated “poor,” in most cases, driving on them cost you an extra $1,044 a year in maintenance and fuel—more than in any major metropolitan with good roads. This calculation was done using some cities in USA as a case study.  

Figures from AAA on vehicle operating cost provide a baseline,and there are basically for ways it drains your pocket: 

• Your tires wear down more quickly. 

• You burn more fuel on endless traffic. 

• You need more routine maintenance, like alignments and brakes. 

• And worst of all, your car doesn’t last as long, since it depreciates more quickly. 

That’s how you get to numbers over $1,000 a year, says Rocky Moretti, TRIP’s director of research and policy and the author of the report.

That is consistent with a report discharged this month by TRIP, a non-partisan, non-profit transportation analysis cluster primarily based in Washington, D.C. Additionally within the “top” ten, rated by percentage of major urban roads deemed poor road areas in USA are

Los Angeles (73),         Concord, California (62), 

Detroit (56),                  San Jose (53), 

Cleveland (52),             New York (51), 

San Diego (51),            Grand Rapids (51)

Honolulu (51), 

Each of these roads cost drivers between $500 and $1,000 a year.  These personal numbers-though not overall figures- shows how much drivers are losing, thus emphasizing just how badly American roads are deteriorating.And the longer the government wait to fix this key element in infrastructure, the more it’s going to the citizens.

The road ratings—good, fair, mediocre, and poor—come from state departments of transportation, which provide the data to the Federal Highway Administration. Good roads are smooth and do basically no damage to cars. Poor ones usually have visible damage, like cracks, potholes, and rutting, and are noticeably less comfortable to drive on.

What could really be the cause of such negligence of these basic infrastructure? Could it be funding, Or are we driving more cars than the government coffers can manage? That is a question to think about.