While an asphalt parking lot is usually aesthetically appealing, durable, and low maintenance, it is vulnerable to potholes due to natural wear, inclement weather, poor installation, and foundation problems.
Potholes are not only unsightly but also cause significant safety concerns and can scare customers away. As such, they need prompt repair to maintain safety and aesthetics at your business premises. Learn reasons why potholes hurt your business and require urgent attention.
Pothole Repair: Reasons to Repair Potholes on Your Property
1. Potholes Harm Vehicles
Potholes can wreak havoc on customers’ and employees’ cars regardless of size and model. Potholes can damage the suspension, tires, bumper, and shocks and could misalign your wheels, resulting in costly repairs and even parts replacement. Also, potholes affect the ride quality, making it bumpy and uncomfortable.
The extent of vehicle damage depends on the depth of the pothole and your speed.
2. Potholes Cause Injuries and Liability
Potholes can lead to tripping hazards for anyone walking across a commercial parking lot. Unsuspecting pedestrians, customers, and employees could trip over an unseen pothole and injure themselves. They could sustain ankle sprains, dislocated joints, back and knee injuries, and bruises and cuts if they fall.
One of the worst things about parking lot accidents is that they can result in liability. A victim could argue that they tripped because of your business’ negligence and failure to repair potholes and file a personal injury lawsuit. Also, your business can get a premises liability lawsuit since the accident took place on your property. Such liability is more costly than keeping your parking lot in optimal condition.
3. Potholes Are an Eyesore
Your parking lot is the first thing visitors, customers, investors, and business partners see when they approach your business. A lot with potholes is unsightly and affects your business’ first impression. It conveys a poor business image and may show that your business does not care about customers’ safety and vehicles. Pothole repair restores your parking lot to a top-notch condition and enhances your property’s curb appeal.
4. Potholes Are Bad For Business
Potholes hurt your business significantly in various ways. First, since potholes are unattractive and pose significant risks to vehicles and people, they may scare customers away. If a customer has to choose between a business with a beautiful and well-maintained parking lot and one with an ugly and pothole-full one, they will probably choose the former.
Second, your business can get a negative reputation for having a dangerous parking lot, and your credibility suffers. Third, potholes can decrease the value of a commercial property. It can keep potential renters away since they might assume the property will be as poor maintenance as the parking lot. Also, once in the market, such a property can’t often fetch a reasonable price and may take longer to sell than one with pothole-free parking.
5. Potholes Give Rise to Big Problems
Potholes can signify or lead to more significant problems if ignored. First, they may reveal other issues affecting your commercial parking lot, such as drainage problems, structural damage, and poor installation. For example, water damage due to drainage issues can lead to potholes. To rectify this issue, you must start with the drainage problem before repairing the potholes for optimal results.
Second, potholes make your parking lot vulnerable to more problems. For example, a large pothole can become a sinkhole in the future, requiring an extensive and expensive repair or even repaving.
In a commercial parking lot, potholes are often a nuisance and a big turn-off for customers and pose numerous risks. Repairing potholes keeps your parking lot attractive and customers safe and maintains a professional look.
Contact JR Paving and Construction Co., Inc., for commercial parking lot repair, installation, and stripping. We have four decades of experience offering quality paving services so your parking lot looks brand new.
