Speed bumps are a safety measure designed to reduce driver speeds and protect pedestrians and bicyclists. Usually found on roads and parking lots, speed bumps are found in several locations including neighborhoods and school zones.
While an excellent safety precaution, speed bumps can also be a nuisance. Every driver has encountered an unseen speed bump and felt the disastrous effects. Additionally, every driver has worried about potential vehicle damage after speeding—whether intentional or not—over a speed bump.
Driving slowly over a speed bump is the best way to avoid damaging your vehicle. But what happens to your car when you accidentally whiz across a speed bump? Do speed bumps wreck the alignment of your car?
It’s All About the Approach
The amount of damage your car sustains after speeding over a speed bump depends on several factors. The first is how you drive over speed bumps. As mentioned before, the best way to approach a speed bump is, slowly. If you constantly zoom across speed bumps, the more damage to your car. The second is how often you drive over speed bumps. Again, if you’re driving 45 mph over several speed bumps on your daily commute to work, your car’s suspension will beg for mercy.
Experts suggest that speeding over speed bumps is the equivalent of banging on your car with a giant hammer. Keep that in mind when driving over speed bumps.
Speed Bumps Can Cause a Lot of Damage
Constantly speeding across speed bumps will inevitably lead to major car damage, especially to your suspension. Your car’s suspension is a vital component to your car.
It consists of your tires, struts and joints, and shock absorbers. Shock absorbers are coils that react to changes in the road, providing a smoother ride. While they are designed to absorb minor dips and bumps in the road, they are not designed to withstand sudden shocks like potholes. Driving too fast over speed bumps—or potholes for that matter—can cause shocks to bend out of shape or leak hydraulic fluid.
Shock damage is only the beginning, as the stabilizing factor in your suspension system, damaged shocks will affect other vital components of your car. According to expert mechanics, constant road vibration negatively impacts steering components in your car. Leaks in the power steering system can throw your wheel alignment off and destroy the steering rack mounts.
Additionally, speeding over speed bumps can damage your car’s exhaust system. If your exhaust system—which sits right underneath your car—is too low, bouncing over a speed bump will cause damage.
Further, you can create tire damage when you speed over speeding bumps. Certain parts of your tire should never touch the road, sidewalls are one of them. After speeding over a speed bump, your car’s tire sidewall may encounter the ground, risking a tire blowout.
Respect the Speed Bump
An invention since the 1950s, speed bumps promote safe driving, protect pedestrians, and prevent tragedies. Drivers should respect speed bumps, by traveling over them accordingly. Never zoom over a speed bump unless you don’t mind paying a hefty repair bill for your car.
