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Protect yourself against road buckling

Bloomington, IL, June 26, 2009—Hot, dry weather is causing roads to buckle, creating hazardous driving conditions.

The National Weather Service issued heat warnings across the country this week.

Temperatures exceeding 90 degrees over several days can lead to road surfaces buckling with little to no warning. When concrete pavement and concrete pavements overlaid with asphalt expand and push up the pavement surface, it is referred to as buckling.

There’s not much that can be done to prevent the deterioration of the driving surface, but there are five things you can do to protect yourself:

1. Try to limit your travel to roads you know very well.  That knowledge could keep you from hitting a buckled section of road and seriously damaging your car.

2. When driving at night, try to drive on well-lit roads so you can see the road surface.  Once again, it’s probably a good idea to limit your travel to roads you know very well.

3. Slow down.  Give yourself a chance to see the impacted pavement and avoid it.

4. If you hit buckled pavement, carefully inspect your tires and wheels for possible damage.  Note how your car handles in the aftermath.  If it “pulls” or you feel a wobble in the steering, you may need to have your car checked out by a mechanic.

5. If you’re unable to avoid buckled pavement, brake before impact.  There’s less damage when a tire is rolling than when it is skidding over an impacted area during braking.

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Holly Anderson, Public Affairs Specialist at (309) 735-7745.