How To Drive In Heavy Rain Or Floods

The devastation caused by Storms Eva and Desmond left thousands of homes uninhabitable and made driving conditions practically impossible to deal with in some areas of the country during January. In most cases, it is completely inadvisable to drive in these sorts of conditions, but if the weather has not quite escalated to those levels and you simply face some heavy rain or minor flooding, you should consider all of the following pointers in order to stay safe on the road.

Keep Your Distance

Wet roads present a number of hazards to drivers, the most prominent of which is increasing stopping distances due to the slippery surface. This means you are going to have to adjust your driving technique and keep an even larger distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, just in case they have to stop suddenly. A good rule of thumb is to stay twice the distance you normally would behind the car in front of you.

One At A Time

If you hit a flooded patch of the road, the first thing that you need to do is try to gauge the depth of the water in front of you. If you try to drive through deep flooding you may end up stranding your car in the middle of the water, damaging it a lot in the process.

Once you have ascertained that you will be able to drive through the water, you now need to take it nice and slow. If there are any cars in front of you, let them clear the flooded area before you make your attempt at driving through it. Simply put, each car waiting to get through the area should take it one at a time so that you can take it slow and don’t have to worry about pressure from other drivers.

Tap The Brakes

Once you have cleared a flooded patch of water, it is dangerous to assume that the water has had no effect on the vehicle. Before you drive away, take a couple of seconds to quickly tap your brakes to ensure that they work as you expect them to. You don’t want to get up to a higher speed, only to find that the brakes fail on you at a crucial moment.

Avoid Deep Water

It only takes about six inches of water to cause damage to a car, so if the water looks like it might be too deep to drive through, don’t take the risk. There’s no point completely ruining your car just to get through a flooded area and you would be better served cancelling your journey and explaining the reason why you are unable to make it today.

Take It Slow

Whether it’s raining heavily or you’re having to drive through a flooded area, the key piece of advice is to take things slow and pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t let other people distract you from what you are meant to be doing. Instead, do things in your own time and make sure you and other road users are kept safe.