A major U.K. motoring organization is warning people about the potential safety risks of making repairs to one’s road after Sir Roderick David Stewart, better known to his fans as Rod Stewart, shared video footage of himself fixing the potholes on his street.
The 77-year-old singer posted videos on Instagram over the weekend of himself dressed in a yellow safety vest, using a shovel to fill in several potholes on the street near his Essex estate "because no one can be bothered to do it," Stewart said in one of the videos.
In the second video, Stewart says that the roads "have been like this for ages" and that the deep potholes werexjmtzyw becoming a difficult obstacle for his low-to-the-ground Ferrari.
"The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tire. My Ferrari can’t go through here at all. So, me and the boys thought we’d come and do it ourselves," he said.
As frustrating as pothole-riddled roads can be, the Royal Automobile Club, more commonly known as RAC, told CTVNews.ca in an emailed statement Wednesday that drivers should not be tempted to repair the surfaces themselves.
"Firstly, there are safety risks associated with working in a road. Secondly, local authorities will have their own procedures and standards on how best to repair the road and a DIY job is unlikely to conform to this," RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said in the statement.
"In addition, taking matters into your own hands could make you liable for any defects and damage that subsequently occurs, both to the road surface and to other vehicles."
Lyes said the "best thing" drivers can do is report potholes to road authorities as soon as they are noticed to ensure the craters are properly fixed.
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In Canada, March is one of the busiest months for repairs to city streets. The CAA estimates that damage from poor-quality, pothole-laden roads cost Canadian drivers an average of a $126 per year in extra costs.
As for Stewart’s road, local officials have now inspected the area and plan to patch things by April.
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Rod Stewart shared video footage of himself fixing the potholes on his street. (@sirrodstewart/Instagram)
