Annually, there are about 1,000 cases of damage resulting from driving through potholes that reach insurance companies. The damage starts from a few hundred euros and can go up to several thousand, explained Urmas Kivirüüt, director of insurance for Salva.

"Usually, nothing happens with a technically sound car," Kivirüüt said. "The worst cases are when driving through a pothole causes the car's bottom to hit the ground."

Only cases where comprehensive (casco) insurance has been taken out reach the insurance companies. There's no reason to turn to motor third-party liability insurance in the case of potholes, Kivirüüt stated.

The road owner is responsible for damage caused by potholes and must ensure that the road is safe for traffic.

If something happens to the car while driving through a pothole, the situation must be documented immediately. To document it, the police must be called to the scene to record the incident and the location. To prove the road condition requirements, it's necessary for the police to take photos of the scene, measure the depth, length and width of the pothole. If it's not possible to call the police to the scene, these actions must be done by oneself, in the presence of witnesses.

"The better the documentation, the easier it is to claim damages from the road owner later," Kivirüüt said.

Kivirüüt explained that standard motor third-party liability insurance does not compensate for damage caused by potholes; comprehensive insurance is required. "Standard motor third-party liability insurance compensates for damage caused by the driver," he said.

"If the vehicle has casco insurance, then all is not lost," Kivirüüt remarked. He added that if there's no comprehensive coverage and the incident is not documented, the road owner is not likely to offer compensation for the damage.

If after driving through a pothole there is a later suspicion that the car was damaged, it is also necessary to go back and document the situation.

"Driving into a pothole is always an insurance event. We determine the extent of the damage and repair it. The insurance company tries to make a recourse claim against the road owner. The insurance company is just an intermediary financier," Kivirüüt explained.

He said that people's awareness of how to handle damage caused by driving through potholes is getting better every year.

More information from the Traffic Insurance Fund about compensating for damage caused by driving through potholes (in Estonian).

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