Video: How to survive spring roads

The mercury's inching up, the snow is melting and you can actually see the yellow lines on the road instead of guessing at where your lane is. Winter's gone, and the drive is a pleasant one.

Except for those literal bumps in the road. Welcome pothole season once again.

Dodging them is akin to a sport. There's the "grab the wheel with two hands and brace yourself" approach. Drivers also use the "slow to a crawl and hold your breath" method or the "speed up and hit it head on" tactic.

Avoidance is popular, too. But a word of warning; Swerving suddenly might help you steer clear of the pothole, but you could end up in a ditch or making the acquaintance of the fender next door. That driver will honk soundly, the guy behind him will stop suddenly, and before you know it, you've caused a pile-up.

Like daffodils and baseball and mud, potholes are a rite of spring. No matter its size, a crack in the surface is all it takes for them to start. The weather doesn't help. When it's cold, water expands, so it adds stress to the pavement. As the roads get more wear and tear, more chunks of pavement come off, and soon your route to work and school is dotted with near-sinkholes.

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<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K1mNzJHODNk&hl=en" />

<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />width="425" height="355" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K1mNzJHODNkhl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object> What to do? Report them. Call your state Department of Transportation for state roads (including expressways), your County DOT for county roads and town and village government for their roads.Just don't call while you're driving.<em>Messenger Post. For a related story: Column: Colleen and Bryan's pothole adventure