Allstate Roadside Services offers tips on how to avoid pothole damage to your car

"Potholes can destroy tires, throw off a car's alignment or worse," said Pam Dufour, president of Allstate Roadside Services. "One of the most important things people can do is to make sure their tires are adequately inflated. This helps to protect and cushion the rim of your tire from damage."

Allstate offers the following tips to protect cars from potholes:

• Make sure your tires are properly inflated.
• Leave plenty of room in front of your vehicle so you can avoid potholes without getting into a crash.
• If you can't avoid a pothole, slow down before you hit it and don't brake. Braking can actually cause more damage.
• When driving over the pothole, hold the steering wheel firmly to avoid losing control.
• Use caution and drive slowly when driving over a puddle of water or through the snow because it might be hiding a particularly deep pothole.

"Every driver who encounters a dangerous pothole should consider contacting their city to make road crews aware," continued Dufour. "Cities around the country will be dealing with fixing hundreds of these road hazards and may not know where the worst of them could be forming."

If a driver has damage to their car or vehicle from a pothole, they should contact their insurance agent to determine if they should file a claim. Some cities may also offer reimbursement for pothole related damage and drivers should check with their local government to see if such a service is provided.

Also, drivers may want to consider downloading Allstate's Good Hands Rescue^SM app, a free app that allows stranded drivers to request roadside assistance from anywhere in America through their smartphones. You don't have to be an Allstate customer to use it and you pay only when services are used. Once service is requested and location is determined, a cost is shared along with an estimated time of arrival. If you accept the service, a network provider is dispatched and you can use your smartphone to track the provider's en route status. On average, through the mobile app, a tow charge will run $99 for the first five miles, a battery jump will cost $69 and having a tow operator come to change a flat tire may run $69. Learn more about Allstate Roadside Services by visiting http://www.allstate.com/auto-roadside-services/good-hands-roadside.aspx.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Now celebrating its 85th anniversary as an insurer, Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." The Allstate brand's network of small businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and services to customers in the United States and Canada. In 2015, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $36 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 230,000 hours of service across the country.

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SOURCE The Allstate Corporation

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