When you drive through flooded areas
Car easily skid in flooded areas. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
What you need to know:
- Slowing down during harsh weather is a necessity but it is more necessary when driving through a flooded area.
- If you drive fast, it will be hard for the car to maintain a grip or traction in wet conditions.
We have been experiencing heavy rains with some areas getting flooded to a point where houses are submerged.
Photos of such have become common on social networks, TV stations and perhaps close to or inside many homes.
Similarly, many people have been seen drive through flooded areas with tyres submerged below the waterlines.
But what exactly should you do when driving through a flooded area?
Don’t underestimate
Paul Kwamusi, a road safety consultant at Integrated Transport Systems says: “Many times cars give people false confidence and assume they can safely sail through flooded areas. It could have resulted from an underestimation of the water strength. However, it is safer to find an alternative route than sail through a flooded area. If not, wait for the water levels to go down.”
However, he says Uganda National Roads Authority, should provide a guide that illustrates the risk of driving through flooded areas because not everyone will have the patience to wait for water levels to go down.
Slow down
Slowing down during harsh weather is a necessity but it is more necessary when driving through a flooded area.
If you drive fast, it will be hard for the car to maintain a grip or traction in wet conditions.
If your tyres come in contact with a puddle of water, they are more likely to skid off the road.
