You can minimise both the risk of getting damage and the level by being as careful / observant (esp. looking ahead for potential potholes) as you can whilst out driving, but also by (see other thread by BBD on tyres today) having smaller wheels and higher sidewall tyres fitted on your car.

You may also find that the problem was not caused by a pothole but driving over speed humps, either badly maintained ones generally and/or the 'pimple' type, or a worn bit of road exposing 'ironmongery' such as a manhole cover or gully.

Sadly these days a lot of things can knacker the tyres, alloy wheels and/or suspension components due to poor / inadequate maintenance, especially as most councils rely almost solely on citizens reporting problems - and where you MUST follow up if a major problem does not get fixed in good time.

I find that when reporting problems such as potholes, etc, make sure in the repot you 'big up' (Within reason, of course) the possible consquences of not having the problem (properly) fixed in quick time, e.g. an accident, especially involving cyclists as they are far more in favour with council(lor)s these days than motor vehicles.

That and make the case that any repair will be far cheaper than the council having to pay out damage claims as you've now officially reported the problem, stating how well the road in question is used.

The biggest problem is often on lesser used side streets and rural roads, as they get neglected the most unless you are fortunate that a councillor happens to either live on, regularly uses that road, or has many constituents in the vicinity. Some just don't give a fig I'm afraid.

If the problem in your area gets really bad and you're getting nowhere with the council and/or councillors, you could take some photos and contact the local paper to publicise the issue. Unfortunately that does mean they'll likely guess / know it's you who did so (even if you do so anonymously) and then you will likely lose any leverage / goodwill in any future dealings with them - petty, yes, but often true.

Despite doing my best to avoid them, it is impossible to miss them all.

I have never seen the roads as potholed as they are now, any repairs that are done last a few days and only the larger patches of tarmac last any time (a few weeks) so its impossible not to go over one.

what makes me laugh is when one is filled in, another one next to it is left a few weeks in which time another forms, so you cannot miss them and so many drivers spend as much time swerving to avoid them as trying to miss cars coming opposite direction, very dangerous

Good info - thank you. They are getting worse near here too, because of quick so called repairs. I went on the council's website which says that whether your car is damaged by a pothole or not they are very unlikely to pay compensation. They say that they only have to show that they have inspected the road within the previous 2 years and they avoid paying out. They claim in the vast majority of cases they can show these inspections have happened.

2 yearly inspections would be fine if their repairs lasted more than 2 years, but many do not. It makes a mockery of the rules they are hiding behind.

The winter tyre that was damaged is on 16 inch wheel. Normal summer ones are on 17 inch. The 17 inch ones are a bit wider and might go over a hole that the narrower winter tyres might go into. Given that they seem to think a hole has to be 6 inches deep before it is counted as a hole, many dangerous holes in the roads just sit there getting worse.