The abundant rainfall in recent hours caused by the DANA, which has mainly affected five communities – Madrid, the two Castillas, the Basque Country and La Rioja – have generated risk situations for drivers on the road, especially in areas prone to flooding. Despite the warnings from the authorities, which ask drivers not to use the car if it is not strictly necessary, some motorists end up being hopelessly surprised by floods while they are behind the wheel.
Faced with this situation, the General Directorate of Traffic is categorical. Through a message published on To warn of the danger that crossing a flooded road with the car may entail, it includes an infographic that graphically illustrates the potential depth of the water and how a few centimeters may be enough to lose control of the car.
These warnings are accompanied by a series of tips that every driver should put into practice if they are surprised by a flood while driving. As the DGT explains, “torrential rain turns a normally dry riverbed into a turbulent torrent of water that floods the road.”
In these cases, there is a danger that the car will be swept away by the force of the water, so before crossing the flood we must assess the situation very carefully and, if necessary, turn around and look for an alternative route. We must not forget to call 112 to warn of the danger.
Traffic reminds that the risk of the car being swept away by water depends on several factors. Among them, the depth of the channel, the speed of the current and the inclination of the terrain, as well as the weight of the car and the height of the bottom. According to the DGT, when the water covers half of the tires, the drive wheels lose grip and it is very difficult to steer the vehicle.
However, when the water covers more than half the wheel, the driver completely loses control of the car. In these circumstances, the car will be swept away by the current, explains the DGT, illustrating the situation with an animated infographic of a car that is covered in water.
If despite everything we decide to undertake the fording and the current surprises us dragging the car, we must get out of the vehicle as soon as possible. To do this, all occupants must remove their seat belt, taking into account that if there are children, an adult must unbuckle them to put them to safety as quickly as possible. Above all, it is essential to remain calm and proceed with extreme caution.
The next thing to do is get out of the vehicle before it is totally submerged. While the car is sinking, we should not try to open the door, because it will be impossible to do so due to the difference in pressure between the passenger compartment and the outside. It can only be done when the interior of the vehicle is full of water and the pressures equalize.
The most effective method to leave the passenger compartment and get to safety is to go out the window. If the electric window does not work, we will have to break the glass with a sharp object. It is very likely that we do not have any object with these characteristics at hand, so we can extract a headrest to hit the glass with the metal bar.
A more remote option that we should only reserve for the end due to its difficulty is to try to get out through the windshield. The front window of the car can be disengaged by pressing hard with your feet.
Once we have managed to leave the passenger compartment, it is best to get on the roof of the car to be more visible and accessible to the rescuers.
