Mother Nature is a moody lady: one minute the sun can be shining, and the next… the heavens open. Flash floods can put you and the your family in danger. At CarZar, we buy cars but we also care about our customers safety. We’ve put together a list of road safety tips and tricks for protecting yourself when driving through flooded areas.
#1 Watch out for flowing water
According to ArriveAlive, it doesn’t take much for your car to be swept off the road. What may look like an innocuous amount of water flowing over the road can cause enough force to lift your vehicle and push it into a dangerous position. 30 cm of water can float most cars, and 60 cm of rushing water can carry even heavy cars like SUVs and bakkies.
#2 Aquaplaning
Aquaplaning occurs when vehicles move fast over a layer of water and loses grip with the road. Worn tyres are more likely to lose traction, so make sure you’ve checked your tread depth before you set off!
#3 Stay on the road wherever possible
Flood pans and marshes may look like they’re safe to drive on, but appearances can be deceiving: these surfaces may only have a thin crust of dry ground above a layer of water.
#4 Watch out for rapids
Trees and other light objects can easily get swept up in a flash flood and washed into the road, causing rapids to form by blocking water flow.
#5 Avoid flooded areas at night
Road safety can be compromised at night due to the low light. If something were to happen to you at night, rescue operations are far more difficult and you are more likely to become disorientated.
#6 Keep your cell-phone dry
If you’re entering a flooded area, make sure you wrap your cellphone in a plastic bag and keep it somewhere on your person, like inside your underpants. An accident can happen in the blink of an eye, and you don’t know where you’ll end up. Better to be safe than sorry!
#7 Stay out of the water
Even 15 cm of moving water can knock you down. If you have to enter the water, remove any heavy clothes like boots or big sweatshirts. Hold these and any other clothes you want to keep dry above your head. Move through the river at an angle to the flow of the water – instead of fighting the flow, it will help move to the other side. If you get swept away, make sure your feet point downstream as this may help you float.
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