Road flood roulette – drive through that water at your own risk

You’re used to seeing road along this stretch. Today, however, you see water instead. You slow to a stop as you contemplate the million-dollar question – “Can I drive through this water?”

When water covers the road, as is the case recently with heavy rains, we occasionally find ourselves faced with the question above. It’s terribly inconvenient when the road is blocked. We come to depend on a particular route to go from home to the office, to the store or to visit friends. When the road is covered in water, the last thing we want to do is to backtrack to a detour. Why not just get up a good head of steam and plow right through?

Why not plow right through? Because you might not make it through. And, if it’s convenient to use a detour, consider how inconvenient it can be if your vehicle is stuck in the middle of rising water. How do you get to dry land no less to your destination? In fact, depending on the storm conditions, have you put yourself and others in the vehicle in danger?

Sometimes, authorities will block off a road due to flooding. But, weather can move with greater speed than police or emergency personnel can always keep up with. You may have to make that judgment call yourself. Considering the potential problems, you may want to error on the side of caution. That means, in spite of any inconvenience, even if you’ll be late for an important meeting, you may want to find another route rather than try to ford a temporary lake that was deposited on the highway (ford, as in to cross a river or stream as opposed to the car maker – even if you drive a Ford, that doesn’t mean it has superior fording capabilities).

What can happen if you decide to drive through the water:

•    You could make it through and go on your way, or …
•    Driving at a higher rate of speed, you could lose control of your car. At speed, you vehicle can hydroplane causing you to lose control of your steering. Worse yet, in little more than a foot of water, you could find your car floating and going anywhere the water wants to take it.
•    Your brakes could fail. Automotive braking systems are remarkable and made to drive in virtually all kinds of weather conditions. However, they’re not made to operate on submarines. In other words, sink your brakes in a foot or more of water and may try to operate your brakes outside of their design limits.
•    The engine could stall. If the water is high enough, it could enter the engine from the intake or could create backpressure by clogging the exhaust. In either case, you’re now looking at more than an aquatic tow to get your vehicle out of the water, but you’re also looking at an auto repair bill, too.
•    You could crack your catalytic converter. That converter operates at a high temperature. Get an egg hot and drop it in a bowl of cold water and watch what happens. You’re looking at the same principle with your car’s catalytic converter.
•    It can damage the electronics and wiring in your car. These are not made for submersion and tend to take that much water badly.

OK, so you’ve weighed the risks and you’re still thinking about driving through the water; now what should you do?

•    First of all, try to gauge the depth of the water. This is a good time to reconsider your decision. Remember, the safest way to go through water on the roadway is to go another way. If the water is moving, GO ANOTHER WAY. Water current is deceptively powerful. Moving water can literally carry your car off the road and into the ditch, river or lake that is adjacent to the road.
•    Next, if you’re still determined, put the vehicle in low gear and drive slowly. This will help you maintain control of the vehicle as you drive. Assuming your assessment of the depth of the water was accurate, you shouldn’t have any trouble. Of course, that’s a big ‘IF’.
•    Stay towards the middle of the road. Roads are sloped down at the sides. That means the shallowest water is at the center. If you can’t see the road, that’s a pretty good indication it’s too deep. Not to be redundant, but you may want to find another route.
•    It’s best to go through standing water one vehicle at a time. Considering the potential loss of control or brakes, this concept is rather obvious.
•    Make sure your cell phone is charged, just in case you were wrong (the mere idea of this suggestion may prompt you to go back to the first point in this list).

These are all good tips in terms of driving through water. And yet, year after year, people strand and damage their vehicles trying to drive through water that is too deep. Worse yet, in incident after incident, rescuers are captured on television risking their lives to save someone who made the wrong choice when faced with driving through water or going another way.

Those are usually the cases that have a happy ending. There are plenty of other cases that don’t turn out so well.

For more information about Performance Unlimited, call 815-728-0343 or visit www.4performanceunlimited.com.


At Performance Unlimited, we hope all of you stay safe regardless of what Mother Nature may throw our way.