Province on pace to break record for pothole insurance claims

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This article was published 15/04/2024 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Swerving isn’t working: Manitoba drivers are on pace to break the record for most pothole insurance claims this year.

Manitoba Public Insurance received 971 pothole-related damage claims in March, bringing the total of claims from the first three months of the year to 1,466. That’s more than double the 701 claims during that time in 2022.

Winnipeg’s pothole season got off to an early start this year thanks to the freeze-thaw cycle during the unusually mild winter.

Now, the 2002 record of 5,395 claims is in jeopardy. Up to April 7 this year, the public auto insurer has received 1,634 claims.

City spokeswoman Julie Dooley said road crews have filled in 60,040 potholes so far. They filled in 20,000 potholes during the first three months last year.

“We continue to use cold mix at night, but have transitioned to the more permanent hot mix during the day,” Dooley said. “We are running 16 or 17 crews around the clock on eight-hour shifts.”

April and May have historically seen some of the highest damage claims over the years. There were more than 2,800 claims during those months in 2022. May 2022 had the most damage claims of the year with 1,633.

“May may differ from previous years as we’ve not yet transitioned to full-time hot mix,” Dooley said. “We are still doing some repairs overnight with cold mix that will require reworking with hot mix later in the season.”

John Vernaus, owner of Vernaus Autobody, has seen the damage done by potholes close up for many years. He says repairs are not cheap.

“The average claim in $4,500,” Vernaus said. “And that’s the average — it could be more. Repairs can add up real quick.”

Vernaus said it can hit vehicle owners directly in the pocketbook, even with insurance.

“There is depreciation on the parts,” he said. “That means there is a cost to the customer if new parts are being put in.

“One person said last week ‘how do you sleep at night?’ when we told her how much she would have to pay herself to repair the vehicle. But it’s not us. MPI gives us a table, which shows how much depreciation to consider.”

For vehicles that have been driven up to 80,000 kilometres, there are no deductions for the parts needed for repairs. After that, a policy holder has to shoulder 10 per cent of the cost of the parts if they have driven the vehicle 80,000 to 100,000 km, 20 per cent if at 100,000 to 125,000 km, and up to 60 per cent for any vehicle driven over 200,000 km.

“It can be expensive,” Vernaus said. “The electric steering gear in a (Dodge) Ram is $4,000 bucks. It adds up quick.”

He said it is the same with tires, with a policy holder paying some of the costs of replacement depending on how worn the tire is.

CAA Manitoba’s annual Worst Roads campaign shines a spotlight on the province’s most crumbling streets, as voted on by drivers. The results are being compiled now.

“Potholes are annoying,” Teresa Di Felice, CAA Manitoba vice president, government and community relations, said. “You find them. You go over them. Manitobans and Winnipeggers are speaking loud and clear: they are really agitated on the state of their roads.”

Di Felice said a survey of CAA members in January found 54 per cent had to get their vehicles repaired because of the roads and 70 per cent of them paid for the repairs out of pocket.

“Only 16 per cent filed a claim with MPI, while 14 per cent forgo repairs,” she said.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the civic public works committee, said there’s only so much street work that can be done.

“For every dollar paid in taxes, the city gets 10 cents, the provincial government gets 40 cents and the federal government gets 50 cents,” Lukes said.

“That’s why the mayors of big cities have been calling for a long time for a different funding model. That 10 cents the city gets has to build streets, fix streets, but also build community centres and other services — there’s not a lot.”

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Lukes noted the William R. Clement Parkway, which includes the former Charleswood Bridge, was built using a public-private partnership system between the city and a developer in 1995.

“Because money for continuous maintenance was built in, when you drive on it 30 years later, it is beautiful,” she said. “Why? Because it has had continuous maintenance.

“Unless cities have a different funding model, we will have crumbling streets.”

MPI spokeswoman Kristy Rydz said the insurer advises motorists to look as far down the road as possible to check for potholes.

“If you are approaching one, don’t swerve suddenly as you may hit another vehicle,” Rydz said. “Slow down as much as possible before the pothole.”

Rydz said because many potholes are hidden in water accumulating in the curb lane, use the same caution driving up to a puddle as you would with a pothole.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

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