Reimbursement for Pothole Damage from Caltrans is a Remote Possibility for Drivers: Roadshow

Q: I have a question about the Caltrans program supposedly for reimbursing a driver that has vehicle damage due to the condition of the roads.

I hit a huge pothole in March on southbound Interstate 880. I filed a claim. After 75 days of waiting, they denied the claim. I am so annoyed and am also out over $400.

Do you have a suggestion for how I might escalate this?

Susan Snyder

A: Appeal, but it is a long shot. Caltrans typically receives 4,000-plus claims a year, and fewer than 1 in 10 are upheld. No fee is required to file a claim for $10,000 or less.

The state pays out nearly $1.2 million for road-related damages under $5,000, but it received roughly $200 million in claims over roughly the same period. It’s difficult to say how many are upheld, because many are turned over to contractors and those are not tracked.

Visit the Department of Transportation’s website for more details.

Q: Parallel parking is so easy! I spent my senior year at Claremont High School and took driver’s ed. I have no idea who the teacher was, but am eternally grateful for their teaching me to parallel park:

“Back up toward the curb until you get to a 45-degree angle to the curb, then straighten out your wheels and finish backing up.”

It’s foolproof (most of the time).

Woutje Swets

A: Mrs. Roadshow said she was taught something very similar about how to parallel park. Because the instructions were so helpful, and because she practiced a lot, she likes parallel parking.

Q: Here’s my story about the driving test my dad gave me. My dad had me drive up Taylor Street in San Francisco, where there is a stop sign at the top of the hill, and always a line of cars behind you when you drove up the street. This was in a 1967 VW Bug.