While driving on the perfect pavement is every driver’s dream, the sad reality for a lot of Australians is far from that.
Though there’s no denying potholes remain a national issue with various road authorities continuously addressing local roads, this one pothole in Victoria has shed light on the dangers of the pesky road blemish, with more than 20 cars damaged in one day.
Local drivers sent videos to 3AW journalist and radio host Jacqui Felgate of numerous cars sitting in the emergency lane on the Princes Freeway after one pothole reportedly damaged 28 cars.
The incident occurred along the highway in Nar Nar Goon – a rural town approximately 61km south-east of Melbourne – on November 10, 2025. The social media videos drew a range of commenters criticising the road authorities.
In one Instagram video posted by Felgate, a local named Stuart came to the rescue of the stranded drivers, with the kind Samaritan reportedly changing tyres on over 30 damaged vehicles.
While Instagram users celebrated Stuart’s kind act, others criticised the lack of support for maintaining local roads.
A commenter expressed their frustration at various authorities passing the buck.
“We get told by the state government that road maintenance is the council’s responsibility. The council says it’s Vic Roads' responsibility, Vic Roads says it’s the government’s responsibility," they wrote.
“Victorians pay the bill for the repair while all three [organisations] deny any responsibility.”
Who’s responsible for fixing potholes?
The responsibility for fixing potholes on roads depends on who technically owns and manages them.
For example, roads across various suburbs are owned and maintained by the local council, meaning any road hazard/blemish should be sent to the relevant local road authority.
In the case of state-controlled roads like the Princes Highway, the Cardinia Shire mayor Jack Kowarzik told the Herald Sun it’s up to the state government to repair the hazard.
“The maintenance of the freeway sits with the Department of Transport and Planning. I would encourage everyone driving through the area to be aware and drive safely, especially given the heavy rain we’re seeing,” Mayor Kowarzik told the news outlet.
On private roads like some major tollways across Australia, road repairs fall on the private operator, like Transurban, for example. But it’s worth noting that potholes aren’t really a common sight on privately operated roads.
Speaking to Drive in September 2025, a Transurban spokesperson said the company has a proactive process when it comes to maintaining its roads.
“In addition to our diligent maintenance crews, which monitor for potential road hazards, Transurban employs advanced AI technologies to oversee road conditions,” they told Drive.
“We integrated AI-enabled dashcams that continuously assess road pavements, identifying the wear and tear [of the road] much earlier than the human eye can.”
Can you claim pothole damage compensation?
Yes and no, it depends on where the accident took place and who controls the road. But generally speaking, affected drivers would need to prove the relevant road authority knew about the pothole but didn’t fix it.
As reported by Drive in November 2023, local councils and state/territory transport authorities are covered by legislation – either through by-laws or various transport rules – that restricts which drivers are eligible for pothole compensation.
For example, in Victoria, VicRoads is only liable to pay repair fees if it has not met its obligation under the Road Management Act, which requires authorities to inspect, maintain and repair roads.
Additionally, Vic Roads is not liable to pay for damages equal to or less than the ‘threshold’ amount – which, in 2024–2025 is $1680 – and drivers must pay before they're compensated.
If a damaged vehicle’s repair bill exceeds this limit, the amount payable by the Victorian road authority is to be reduced by the threshold amount.
According to a 2025 report by the ABC, between 2023 and 2024, 1709 pothole compensation claims were submitted by affected drivers.
Of the nearly 1800 total, the national news outlet reported only 23 "have resulted in a settlement offer", equating to approximately 1.3 per cent of successful claims.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
