Why is Caltrans denying so many damage claims on California freeways?

A CBS News California investigation found damage claims from potholes and debris on California freeways tripled in just the first half of 2023, while Caltrans cut damage payouts in half. We’re investigating why.

[@West_Coast]

That's pathetic, fix those holes... can only blame the leadership.

[@chuckxu5910]

That’s why California looks like little Haiti 🇭🇹

[@riacardi7011]

you're paying 50 cents on gas tax and its used for road maintenances

[@joeyk803c]

​@@riacardi7011Yet this video proves otherwise

[@chiquita683]

It's caused by rapidly changing climate

[@lutomson3496]

We pay the highest gas taxes in the US to fix roads allegedly pathetic ripping us off

[@Halfdead211]

On top of all the other state taxes that are the highest in the country

[@trainwreck420ish]

It's for Newsoms hair

[@ecalder28612]

They are pocketing the money🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Halfdead211]

@@gwuengr2 “Public Servants”

[@Baebon6259]

I have been to red states. Their roads are just as bad but they don't tax the crap out of you in the name of "fixing the roads"

[@jessicah3782]

CalTrans acting like its employees never drive the roads. They know.

[@jessefrederick2791]

Take them to court and hold them accountable!

[@jasondh4777]

Why is it that we have 2 gas taxes that were implanted to fix the roads but they got worse????? Where is our money going to? Hage you seen the 60? On Pomona it’s terrible Enough with increasing taxes

[@patmcbride9853]

Caltrans wants to keep all the $$$$ to themselves.

[@NVArt001]

They have to pay for those retirement plans.

[@alexsystems2001]

My car was damaged on the 215 in Riverside… prior to that damage to my car I reported the freeway to caltrans, I reported it to my state assembly person who then reported it to cal trans, the local newspaper did a story about the damaged section of the freeway THEN my car was damaged and cal-trans still denied the claim saying they didn’t know about the damage.

[@ss6830]

Your not famous enough 😂 this state is a joke on EVERY level

[@malin7919]

Newsom raised gasoline tax to fix these roads. And yet, the roads are worse than ever. That's why I am supporting the recall of Newsom.

[@jasondh4777]

I agree our money is going somewhere else

[@trainwreck420ish]

China

[@magicunicorn6535]

I think CalTrans is the problem. Their work is slipshod, and their finances are probably the same.

[@RudeAwakening1971]

Sorry but the recall is over…..the voters decided against the RECALL.

[@rickjames5998]

lol the recall is over

[@celebrityrog]

Yes it’s the states responsibility to pay for the damage to your car. You pay taxes for the roads to be built in a gas tax. If the state can’t keep up with the roads then perhaps get rid of the tax completely. Sounds to me the state has a lot of potholes that they refused to fix right the first time. Take them to small claims court

[@rickjames5998]

haha thats cute. good attitude but in practise, this aint happening

[@mnblkjh6757]

corrupt state/corrupt cities 🤣😂👎☹️

[@Invisableme39]

This is an example as to why government agencies need to be audited, employees fired for poor performance, and salaries, retirement, pensions, need to be revised…these agencies want your tax dollars, but they don’t want to be held accountable. Are Caltrains employees getting their damaged vehicles repaired from road damage?

[@seancowhie6951]

Criminals running things

[@catspece4933]

There are so many very rough areas on the freeways and streets. 80 going north before Cal Expo, Exposition Blvd, Heritage Way. Our taxes pay for road repair and fund Cal Trans, so what is up?

[@cbmathews0440]

Our taxes and registration go to what exactly? The finances of this state are a joke

[@Liberalcali]

The money goes to pensions that caltrans employees don’t help contribute

[@nicholasthompson7690]

Same w ny. Why I fled in 2022

[@randyboisa6367]

The money goes towards paying for illegal immigrants healthcare, cell phones, food, and rent.

[@jimh598]

Everyone needs to go above Caltrans to your representatives and let them know you will not tolerate this any longer.

[@jamesmckay4573]

How do you do that in California? switching one person of the party to another person of the same parry does not do anything to solve the problem.

[@jimh598]

@@jamesmckay4573 That's so true but if a lot of people express their disgust with the problem they would have to do something. Even these representatives want to hold on to their jobs.

[@dsan5825]

Caltrains seems shady. Take a look at the heads of the operation and look at how much $$$ they make.

[@Kabab]

CBS you are doing God's work here. I will forever be a fan if you are able to put the smack down on the LA jurisdiction. The pot holes are absolutely insane. I've seen cars completely get stuck in a pothole and need a tow to get out. Right here in La Brea in Hollywood.

[@camrons362]

Caltrans is about fraud. I hit a series of back to back potholes, reported it, spent near $4000 to fix the damage and affected tires, and got an email that they fixed it and thank me! Not allowing filing for damages expense since it was fixed! I’m wondering who are those minor lucky ones who actually got paid for damages and to what extent? Had they lost lives or limbs?! so Caltrans rush to keep them silent?

[@afriedrich1452]

California state government is about fraud.

[@user-zt6bt8dp2c]

5th largest economy in the world with 3rd world infrastructure

[@HiThisIsMine]

I have dash cam footage, photos, a $1000 repair bill for damage on that side of the vehicle exactly the next day, GPS coordinates, satellite view images and a time stamp. I uploaded the video to KZbin using a private link, packaged everything up nicely, sent it out and they took 8 months to respond to me… only to say they decided they will deny my claim and say I didn’t provide them enough proof showing liability. My private linked KZbin video has a view counter on it. It was never reviewed. Want to know how they decide which one to deny? They just deny nearly everything without review.

[@khantra4568]

So why the hell are we paying a hike in the gas tax?

[@seamusoreilly804]

Considering the ridiculous amount of taxes we pay to maintain these roads, every highway we have should be smooth as a baby’s arse.

[@dripskee6443]

A pothole gave you PTSD lmao. That sounds like your typical California resident

[@NextNate03]

"No taxation without representation."

[@fire2box]

dash cams FTW.

[@cyclemadness]

Local news rocks! The only entity exposing this kind of stuff.

[@treesgrump6949]

That is opposite of where I live. The state government pay over 95% of these claims and DOT have 14 days to gather evidences and take care it.

[@kennydude7971]

PTSD from a pothole? Give her a commercial jet to fly.

[@machupikachu1085]

Yeah, that was wierd.

[@randyboisa6367]

Another reason for Newsom to attach another $1.00 to a gallon of gas.

[@BuhodePiedra]

Unlicensed contractors without insurance and untrained labor at their stuff is flying off the trucks into the roads.

[@patrickngoa6876]

America, it should be better... Greetings from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

[@Numba1hunna83]

I had sympathy till she said she had ptsd. If a pothole gives you ptsd you need to toughen up buttercup.

[@CaptainGibz]

People get rear ended and killed changing tires, happened to a friend of mine, they lost their 18 year old daughter in LA when her car broke down and she was rear ended at 70 mph.

[@Numba1hunna83]

@CaptainGibz not the same thing.

[@tslegers]

Caltrains need to be sued out of existence.

[@Viggggggr]

How can we prove it’s been reported to cal trans ? We don’t have access to that database I’m sure they are giving them self large “time” window to repair stuff like months and decline any claim “we know about it and we will fix it some day “ thus we aren’t liable

[@Kitty8791]

Report on SeeClickFix. That goes to local municipality, but will state when CalTrans is responsible & forward to them or instruct how to report to them, but that is some evidence of reporting.

[@shadytreez]

I had a 6 months old car and the run flat tire was worped by a pot hole on I-5.

[@user-kq4hf8se5b]

If i see or hit a pothole once. I avoid it every time after that.

[@DennisSection]

#1 lane off 80 going towards midtown after exposition blvd, there's drivers maneuvering onto lane #2 to avoid the potholes. It's a safety issue and Caltrans stated they were going to redo the freeway so no they will not come out and fill the potholes. Denied the request. Bunch of lazy phucks

[@NVArt001]

I left that horribly run state in '99 and you couldn't pay me enough to move back. I do have to drive to the L.A. area for family occasionally and I've seen potholes in the freeway that went down to the dirt. 8-10 inches of concrete missing and dirt from under the freeway on top of the roadway. It is literally like driving in a war zone down there. The potholes are like mortar craters and everyone trying to get to the same place at the same time. Caltrans refuses to do maintenance until the roads are nearly unusable. I dread it every time.

[@YTPartyTonight]

The 210 Freeway down in the Pasadena area, particularly westbound into Pasadena, is in horse-**** condition. It's Caltrans's job to keep track of the condition of the roads in its jurisdiction and maintain/fix them, not the general public's.

[@RatfromNadeaust]

Remember the infrastructure bill in the stimulus package for roads and bridges? What did California do with that money ? It's the most expensive state in taxes and nothing gets done. Every rain season new potholes occur and existing ones get bigger.

[@Aldeeezzy]

Avoid delicate low profile tires.

[@tslegers]

We pay a fortune in gas taxes for road maintenance and repair, but the roads are worth than ever. Where is that money going? Now they want to raise the taxes again? Hell no.

[@jimmiewilliams5972]

Someone needs to be fired

[@charv31142]

I had so much & so many cars damaged. CALTRANS denied every last one! There's a strategy by someone in a position of authority undermining the public's ability to collect on their negligence but they can charge whatever they want for toll roads! Its a crime!

[@CaptainGibz]

Fire every higher up denying these claims and reorganize. What are we paying SB1 taxes/ Insanely high car registration/ gas tax up the whazoo for?

[@QuickStix26]

Why? Because the amount of claims will raise the question, “where is the money going to?”

[@DubbPP]

They been doing that for years... I'm a delivery driver construction is always being done on Sacramento roads yet they are still mangled, a bolt flew up from construction and broke my windshield, denied, a bolt from construction flatten my tires a few times while on a delivery, denied with photo evidence and city construction taking place of the site, denied denied denied...

[@DubbPP]

Not to mention the pot holes never being fixed and destroyed my whole front end and cracked my radiator and oil pan

[@JustDontPls]

When I see cal trans fixing the freeway it’s like I’m seeing a rare once a life time thing if they even fix it living in San Jose I can tell you this they’ve barely started fixing parts of the freeway that split off near downtown area that have been unfixed or just not even worked on at all for years that are barely being fixed after I don’t even know how many years it’s been but more than 10 for sure

[@OlegDimov]

Why do #Caltrans , as servants of the people, receive their salaries based on our taxes?

[@seancowhie6951]

Caltrans needs competition

[@williamvang9501]

I think Caltrans needs to do a better job of making the freeways and highways safe, especially when vehicles are driving. They need to follow the construction schedule and make sure that the roads are safe for drivers.

[@beffis1980]

HWY 299 is absolutely terrible! Absolutely they’re going to make it difficult for you! We pay the highest taxes out of any state and they literally find loopholes so people give up hope

[@munkeescrotum]

How do we sue and clean house?

[@user-uj5ly1eq5n]

Don’t forgot there’s a lot of potholes in Compton

[@jonahdinger2000]

TIP: Make sure your tires on your car have enough air so you don’t get any “snakebites” when you accidentally hit a pothole. Having enough air can save your life! Caltrans really annoys me as there are many states that do a better job of keeping their infrastructure up to date. Caltrans is even doing a terrible job with roadway signage (at least in some maintenance districts) as there are 40 year old signs that are hard to read at nighttime. Also, the whole interstate system in the state lacks the simple green mileposts that most Americans are used to looking for when they need to pull over on the highway.

[@angry.8]

So they knew about the pothole but denied they knew about it. Isn’t that fraud?

[@user-xo4xd1vk8z]

Cal trans needs to payout the claims. They overspending their budgets .

[@seancowhie6951]

Caltrans has too much power

[@thesadboxman]

This is the journalism we all need. Journalists helping ordinary citizens get justice from the overly bureaucratic government.

[@dalesuhre6522]

Every time you see a pothole whether it is on State maintain highways or County Roads report them. Do not report them by just calling up and saying hey there's a pothole on XX road,. Do it in writing with a registered letter. Then when something happens they get their butts sued. Caltrans claims the same crap when pieces fall off an overpass and damage your car, but it's not their fault because there wasn't any damage reported earlier.

[@seancowhie6951]

Caltrans is too slow

[@tripledelight8104]

Pot holes are the most destructive happen to your car at high speed on the highway.

[@Flash1857]

A % of car damage due to potholes must be on the owners dash cameras, another good reason to have one

[@mcg1119]

I tried filing a claim and was turned down with a personalized form letter. It's a waste of time.

[@magicunicorn6535]

I believe CalTrans actually installs the potholes.

[@Jason-ml3vs]

PTSD from a flat tire. 😒

[@002tar]

She looks like a walking PTSD

[@bobjones1636]

I pay 16 dollars to cross two bridges in the Bay Area every day. Cal trans collects an absurd amount of money and they use very little of it for actual road repairs.

[@DubbPP]

Why is it so hard to see what's going on... It's always someone at the top making these decisions

[@madmonkey762]

So, the thousands of claims isnt proof enough that their is an issue, and they KNEW about it? Sounds like they just don't want to pay claims, or else caltrans will ceased to exist.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Well at least the $7 billion$ bridge to Oakland is unique on your way to more potholes

[@chrisb15679]

Because they'd owe every driver in the state 😂

[@thizzfox]

Ummm I think you forgot the 215 from Perris to Riverside 🙄

[@emp5352]

Electric cars weigh twice as much as a gas car, but pay none of the road repair taxes. There was a surge in electric cars in CA, without the surge in road tax. So it makes sense that we see more potholes with less repaired.

[@seanthe100]

The potholes come from the heavy rainfall in the last two years winch destroys the roads

[@kbh95207]

🧐🤔 didn’t we pass a couple of propositions to fix our highways in exchange for higher gas prices? Oh yeah, CalTrans used that money to paint freeway signs onto the asphalt in different parts of the state…instead of you know, fixing potholes

[@moogs]

1 in 25 is 96% denied not 95…

[@lanesaarloos281]

Those high dollar Caltrans employees are more important than fixing bad roads.

[@moogs]

This just in. Claims are on ALL California freeways…

[@TheRGX_123]

Stupid time we live in

[@king_chip_15]

Ptsd from a pothole? So ptsd is being thrown around like its a new norm now? Huh interesting

[@ericlindauer7150]

We're getting a Bullet Train, gas taxes are for "Transportation" related issues.. or in otherwords, wasted

[@Phantom_Adventurer]

Time to get congress involved!!!!!

[@user-ri8hc4nh1l]

Look at the rest areas on interstate 80.Thats not American graffiti written on the walls etc. They need to convert them into a deportation station.

[@tomesguerra5495]

Maybe need record requests 52 weeks a year that way no over lap !

[@MrTM-fg6zn]

Let 10-15 pound out of your tires for a smother ride so what if it costs a few more cents in gas.

[@numutekwipu2006]

Let’s all File Lawsuits on cal trans

[@hamradiotimes5586]

There pockets are like potholes, full of money

[@Baebon6259]

lol they are so quick to deny claim yet so quick to take your money via tax.

[@karlchristensen6277]

Send the bill to Newsom.

[@hrcia6123]

File an insurance claim and that’s all

[@vrm86gt]

We pay for road maintenance via gas taxes and they pilfer the money, nothing gets fixed so yes it is the states fault!

[@seancowhie6951]

You need to have an option of choosing other companies to take care of the road besides just Caltrans they have no competition

[@MH_6160]

Gotta pay them inflated union salaries and life time benefits

[@Mr.Torres-Mr.Towers]

lol sounds about right my peers at their best.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Hold Caltrans accountable. Vote Gavin, their boss, out of office

[@RacerX1971]

There will be more pot holes with heavier cars on the road like EVs

[@1028Imgroot]

Every single freeway in California and over pass sinking at entrance and exiting them . And adding bringing those cheep contractor taking forever to finish a barrier and not mention the bridge and when they finish is only half way!! .. where the tax dollars at work? Vacations and of course homeless encampments 🙌🏼👍🏼👌🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@Scorpio2092]

We pay taxes. Fix our Roads!!!!!

[@yehuo2825]

stop just putting a bandage on... filling the pothole... instead redo the road!

[@ivanpadilla1936]

If we pay the most highest gas tax then why don’t we have the best highways/freeways in the country? 😂😂😂 what are they doing with all the money?

[@juanschweinsteiger3929]

I know that pothole. lol