| Ironically, many drivers
rescued from flood waters report that they were in a hurry
to get home-- to safety -- as a reason for tempting the danger
of driving into water. However it looks, and despite what
car commercials depict, driving into flood waters may be the
most dangerous things one might ever try considering the following:
Most cars will float (and be swept away) in 18-24 inches
of moving water. Trucks and SUVs are not much better with
only 6-12 more inches of clearance. Creeks and rivers can
rise very rapidly and the road bottom can also wash away
making the water much deeper than it appears.
Once cars are swept downstream they will often roll
to one side or perhaps flip over entirely. The driver has
a few precious seconds to escape the vehicle. In fact, many
drivers panic as soon as the vehicle submerges and are found
later with their seat belt intact.
As the interactive segment above explains, if and when
a driver escapes the vehicle, there are many more extreme
dangers in wait.
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