Considering that it is currently the monsoon season, floods in different areas have gradually become especially frequent, and other than viral videos of places being flooded, people are getting interested over the occurrence of unexpected small vehicles being able to wade through slightly flooded roads, with larger vehicles in the background having difficulty doing the same.
Should you drive through floods?
If you can, always try to avoid driving through flooded areas, especially if the water reaches the body of the car, for even small amounts of water can lead to rust or electrical failures if not treated properly afterwards. If small amounts of water gets into your air intake, you risk damaging your engine, and if a large amount of water gets inside, you have a high chance of hydrolocking your engine, which stops your engine from running and leaves you stranded.
But not everyone is lucky enough to be able to take an alternative route to avoid flooded roads, so if you really have no choice but to drive through the flooded water or risk getting stuck, follow our steps below:
- Determine how high the water level reaches your car.
If the water level lightly touches your bumper it’s fine, just try not to go through water that reaches your grille or bonnet, this varies depending on your car’s height.
- Know the road
Flood water can severely affect road vision, especially if the water level is higher than the curb. If you’re unfamiliar with the road, you might accidentally drive into the curb or deeper parts of the road, where water levels would be higher.
- Make sure there’s no other cars going through
Another car from beside or the opposite direction going through the flood water (especially if they’re doing it the wrong way) will push waves towards your car, and waves are bad since they make the water level rise.
- Keep moving at a slow pace
Always go slow to push the water to flow around your car, for going too fast will create a wave that’ll increase the water level and push water into your grille or over your hood, which can let water seep into the air intake.
- Check your car afterwards
After getting out of the flood water, the first thing to do would be to dry out your brakes by gently tapping it while your car is still moving, and once you get home or to a safe place check your car to see if water got in anywhere.
Driving your car through floods is never advised, especially if you drive a small car or a sports car. Those who drive SUVs and pickup trucks should also take precaution as a misstep can still damage your car no matter what you drive. And always put your life first.
