A third of Scots hit a pothole last year and two-thirds had to make dangerous manoeuvres to avoid them.
Research by Kwik Fit also revealed the number of motorists hitting potholes has increased 143% in just two years. Nearly 13 million people in the UK thumped over a pothole last year, compared to just 5.7 million in 2011.
More than one in 10 drivers aged 18-24 said they had been in an accident caused by avoiding a pothole and seven per cent of people witnessed an accident caused by a pothole.
A quarter of people have been forced into the path of oncoming traffic by one.
As well as switching to the opposite side of the road, other risky emergency measures undertaken by motorists to avoid potholes include excessive braking (18%), hitting the kerb (7%) and even mounting the pavement (5%).
Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “Potholes are a growing problem for motorists, not just through the damage they cause but the fact that they force drivers to make risky manoeuvres.
“It’s no surprise that more than three million drivers have either been in, or witnessed an accident caused by a driver avoiding a pothole and this recent spell of freezing weather is only going to make the situation worse.”