As motorists, the pothole is one of the most notorious foes we encounter.  Fabricated from nothing and created by no one, the elusive pothole manifests itself with a certain subtlety wherever it pleases and wreaks havoc indiscriminately on those unfortunate enough to cross its path.  Like a lion stalking in tall grass, the pothole waits, with unsurpassed patience, for an unsuspecting prey to fall into its trap. 

In 2009, GEICO began a series of commercials featuring talking inanimate objects doing damage to cars. So far, they have used a talking tree limb falling on a windshield and breaking it. The tree limb makes fun of the car right before a smaller limb falls on the hood. The next one is a talking pothole with a thick southern girl accent causing a flat tire. The pothole somewhat apologizes then says she’ll get her cell phone out and call a wrecker before realizing that she doesn’t have one because she’s a pothole. Other recent one’s include a talking car bumper and talking husband and wife pipes that have Russian accents.

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Quaker State motor oil recently began a marketing campaign asking consumers “Who has the world’s worst commute?” Forgiving their willful ignorance to include Cambodian motorbikes and Parisian pedi-cabbers, Americans have apparently come forward with some horrific feats of daily strife. Twenty-seven miles in two hours another with forty in three. Ridiculous mileage – years spent motionless in traffic.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told The New York Times Magazine reporter Deborah Solomon, “America is one big pothole” in its June 14, 2009 issue dedicated to the country’s infrastructure. From an historical perspective, he might as well have said America’s military and economic strength is crumbling. Since ancient times, the existence and quality of roads have made and broken empires.

We all know how aggravating it can be to navigate over a pothole; the shocking jolt that spills your coffee on the way to work or evokes shrill screams from children in the back seat. If these were the most severe consequences, potholes would be relatively minimal road annoyances, perhaps more on par with an obnoxious bumper sticker or the kid that pulls up next to you listening to his music a little too loud.