Just when you think the potholes can’t get any worse, someone goes and plants a banana tree in one. When it comes to car safety, potholes can be a major cause for concern. How do potholes form and is there anything people can do about it?

Why did someone plant a banana tree in a pothole?

Drivers in Fort Myers, Florida, were fed up with one large pothole in particular. According to WPLG Local 10, the pothole was known for taking out cars as customers drove along the street. The road is a private drive but the county said there would be no assistance with the crumbling road.

Since Honda Drive is private, Lee County said the owners along the road are responsible to fix the potholes. After the tree was planted, drivers had a hard time navigating the road in certain vehicles. You could got around the new tree, but there were more potholes as the road continued.

By the end of the next day, the pothole banana tree had been run over. It isn’t clear if someone was upset about the tree and ran it over to make a counterpoint, or if someone didn’t see the tree in the dark and ran it over. For now, the tree and the caution tape surrounding it lay defeated on the ground.

What is a pothole in a road?

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, a pothole usually forms due to water seeping into the pavement. This is more common during winter months when the water freezes and expands. Overtime, the crack in the pavement combined with the weight of traffic can cause the pavement to get a hole in it.

There isn’t anything an individual can do about a pot hole, for the most part. Most states have a crew that works fixing potholes on state-maintained roads. If you know of a large hole on a road, most states have an online pothole reporting system. In addition to that, you can often file a property damage claim from damage sustained from a pothole. Drivers can request reimbursement for vehicle damage, but that can be a lengthy process. However, in the case of the banana tree fix, the state wouldn’t be required to fix the hole in the road.

Weather and traffic have a major impact on roads

Many people think that potholes aren’t as severe in Florida because there is no snow, but that is not the case. One of the major causes of potholes in Florida is the constant traffic. Roads are always packed with vehicles which can cause the roads to deteriorate faster. In the area that the banana tree was located, many big trucks and commercial vehicles are constantly driving on the road. Since this is a smaller private drive, the road might not have been made for so much weight.

In the video footage of the area, there is standing water covering parts of the road. Standing water can cause damage to the roads after being stepped inside. The summer rain can help further erode streets and conceal a large pothole. The weather in Florida has a major impact on the quality of roads, which can be in dire need of repair.

It isn’t suggested that you plant a tree in any potholes, but the banana tree bandit got the point across. Perhaps someone will step up to fix the road before anymore trees pop up overnight. Until vehicles are equipped with pothole detection technology, drivers have to be aware of holes in the road.