There are plenty of hazards out on the open road, but few are more aggravating than encountering a pothole. Potholes can be found just about anywhere, usually due to poor municipal maintenance, severe weather conditions and poor quality sealing and patching attempts. It's a good idea to know exactly what to do when rubber meets an unexpected hole in the road.

Check for Damage

Once you've come to a safe stop in a safe area, you'll want to check for the following:

• Tire damage—You'll want to check your tires for any cuts, gouges or bulges. Pay close attention to the sidewall for signs of damage, as this area tends to be weaker than other parts of the tire.
• Wheel damage—A nasty pothole strike can easily dent the lip of steel and alloy wheels. A serious hit could cause cracks in alloy wheel spokes, making the entire wheel susceptible to catastrophic failure.
• Suspension noises—That clanking and clattering in your suspension could be the result of control arms, shocks, bushings and other important suspension components being damaged after a pothole.

Make Repairs

The best (and sometimes only) course of action is to take your car to a reputable repair shop as soon as possible. If a pothole has given you a flat tire, replace it with a spare (if you have one) or have a towing service transport the vehicle to the nearest shop. Afterwards, a mechanic or tire shop will be able to replace the affected wheel and tire, as well as any suspension components that may have been damaged at the time of the pothole strike.

It's also a good idea to find a replacement for the damaged wheel, especially if you have an alloy wheel. It might be possible to beat steel wheels back into shape, but the resulting bead could be too weak to hold the tire on the wheel and to hold air inside.

File a Claim

Hitting a pothole is bad enough, but paying for the damage out-of-pocket can seriously suck. However, you might be able to have someone else foot the bill for the repairs you've had made.

Depending on the jurisdiction, your local municipal or county government may be responsible for any pothole damage. After all, your government has a responsibility to maintain its roads to a reasonable standard. However, pursuing a claim could prove difficult since you'll have to prove that the government body responsible for road maintenance had prior knowledge of the pothole, and that the government had plenty of time to make the proper repairs.

As an alternative, you could file a claim with your own auto insurance provider. However, you'll have to have collision coverage in order to have your pothole damage covered, in most cases. Even then, the damage caused to your tires and other front-end or rear-end components must be the direct result of the pothole. Normal wear and tear on your tires in the aftermath of a pothole won't be covered by your insurance.

Be on the Lookout

To prevent pothole disasters from happening in the future, scan the road ahead and give yourself time to safely yet quickly avoid potholes. You'll also want to reduce your speed during inclement weather, as this could easily obscure potholes until it's too late. If you're driving on a road that regularly has potholes or other signs of road damage, you may want to consider taking an alternative route on a better-maintained road.

It's also recommended that you keep your tires inflated to the maximum pressure specified within the owner's manual or the driver side door jamb. The properly measured cushion of air could come in handy to help dampen potholes and other harsh road transitions.

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