We hate to give you a bumpy start this Monday morning but since it is something everyone in Columbia is familiar with, it’s time we talk about potholes.

DYK that South Carolina has over 90,000 lane miles or roadways that are owned by the South Carolina Department of Transportation? Potholes are all too common across the state, leaving roads rocky and oftentimes expensive damages to motor vehicles that can average $79 to $700.

Just last year, SCDOT patched approx. 679,300 potholes in South Carolina, according to the 2020 performance report. To help put that in perspective, that’s an average of 1,861+ patches per day. This is also an increase from 2019 when the department patched 514,000 potholes.

From July-December 2019, the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund paid out $916,743 to 635 damage claims that were caused by potholes, manholes, and drains. The average amount for a damage claim was $1,082. In the 2020 calendar year, SCDOT paid $627,615 to 3,161 damage claims (which is separate from what the SC Insurance Reserve Fund pays out.)

SCDOT has two programs to help smooth over any turbulence if you’re still all shook up from your ride to work this morning.

1️⃣ Drivers can report potholes that need to be patched through the SCDOT website here. To report a pothole by phone, call (855) 467-2368 toll-free or (888) 324-3100.

2️⃣ If a pothole damages your vehicle, you can file a report with SCDOT for the repairs. Complete this damage claim form up to one year from the date of occurrence to file a damage claim. South Carolina residents can file these claims under the South Carolina Tort Claims Act.

After you complete the form, submit it along with 2 repair estimates or a paid invoice to the SCDOT Maintenance Office in the county where the incident occurred. SCDOT can then accept or deny the claim.

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