Driving instructor offering 'pothole avoidance lessons' after losing four tyres

Mechanics have reported a rise in damage caused by craters in Glasgow's streets.

A driving instructor in Glasgow says students are dealing with “horrendous” potholes when on the road.

Matthew Worthington has now included a “pothole avoidance module” in lessons for his students after he lost four tyres in recent months.

The instructor says it can add to pupils’ nerves when navigating the roads and that some have to go through them to reach test centres.

“Students are nervous enough as it is driving a car and we’ve got the added annoyance of more potholes now,” he told STV News.

“Some of them are wrecking cars, wrecking tyres.

Matthew Worthington is teaching his pupils a module on avoiding potholes. Photo: STV News.

“In the last six months its gone from bad to horrendous and its getting worse and worse every day. It’s awful.”

He added: “I’ve lost four tyres within the last few months.

“Its really annoying and the only good thing that has come from it is showing a student how to change a spare wheel because not many people know how.

“The knock on effect can be that you need to get a new tyre which takes money and time out of your day. It can be quite detrimental to your business.

It's estimated for every 1,000 people in the city, there are at least 11 unrepaired potholes.Getty Images

“I actually teach a pothole avoidance lesson now which is quite crazy.

“It shows students how to safely avoid potholes, to not just swerve without checking mirrors for example because driving is paramount safety.”

Tyre centres are reporting a rise in customers bringing their vehicles in with issues as a result of potholes.

Abdul Nazar, who owns a garage in East Renfrewshire, told STV News: “We have all of our regular customers in our system so when a new call comes in we know its a new customer.

“This morning, from around nine o’clock until half eleven, we’ve had 18 phone calls for tyre repairs.

“All tyre related but before that we had done four tyre repairs on two cars.”

Glasgow City Council said it employs additional resources to deal with potholes through the winter and while roads are inspected on a daily basis it urged people to reports hazards in their area.

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