As part of Victoria mops up from another flood event, the State Emergency Service is again warning people not to drive through floodwaters, with volunteers performing more than 50 swift-water rescues during the recent floods.
Key points:
- Driving into floodwaters the leading cause of death during flood events
- Emergency services performed dozens of swift-water rescues in Victoria this week
- Experts say the message to stay out of floodwaters isn't getting through
Driving into floodwaters remains the leading cause of death during flood events, despite emergency services' constant warnings: "If it's flooded, forget it".
So why do people do it?
The chief executive of Natural Hazards Research Australia, Andrew Gissing, said there were a number of reasons people attempted to make it across a flooded section of road.
Vehicle type, familiarity with the area and social perceptions were just some of the factors drivers took into account before deciding whether to forge ahead, he said.
Young people, men taking the gamble
Mr Gissing said people with four-wheel drives were more likely to take on flooded roads, as they tended to think their cars were much safer and heavier than others.
Drivers aged under 30, and males were also more likely to take the risk, he said.
It takes just 15 centimetres of water to float a small car, and a four-wheel-drive can only drive through 20cm safely.
Loading...Mr Gissing said it was very difficult to judge the height of floodwater, and the conditions beneath the surface.
"How do you actually know what the true depth is, and how fast that water is flowing?" he said.
"You only need to get the conditions slightly wrong, and misjudge your capability, the capability of your vehicle, and the floodwater, and it can lead to some deadly outcomes."
Authorities said swift-water rescues were a constant feature of flood events, despite their best efforts.
"Driving through floodwater seems to continue even though we constantly urge community not to do so," Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said.
"Police and emergency services have to continue to put themselves at risk to assist people who do drive through floodwaters.
"Cars don't float for very long, and they end up causing serious risk to people in them, and can potentially cause loss of life."
A woman in her 70s was lucky to escape uninjured earlier this week when her car was swept into Bendigo Creek, near Elmore.
Road quality not guaranteed
If the water is fast-flowing, or the area has been flood-affected for some time, there may not be a road for you to drive on.
Pictures from VicRoads showed large sections of bitumen in flood-affected areas swept away earlier in the week, with guardrails warped and broken by the power of the water.
Mr Gissing said even if you knew a section of road like the back of your hand, driving it when it was flooded was a whole different story.
He said those who needed rescuing were often quite close to home.
"They're locals, they've perhaps driven through that piece of floodwater before with a successful outcome," he said.
"But what we really need to tell people is that flood water is different every time we come across it."
Weighing judgement against safety
Research conducted by Natural Hazards Research Australia in 2021, in partnership with the Newcastle SES in New South Wales, found that one-in-five locals had driven into floodwaters around the town.
Sixty-three per cent of participants said they had encountered flooding in the last year, but if they thought their fellow road users would disapprove of them turning around, they would continue through the floodwaters.
However, the thought of putting others at risk if they became stranded in floodwaters was a deterrent.
"The police tell us not to, the SES tell us not to, the ambulance tell us, everyone tells you not to," one participant said.
Researchers also found that having a plan B, and actively seeking alternate routes — even when floods weren't impacting an area — also prevented drivers from entering floodwaters.
Setting the example is key
Mr Gissing said it was not just drivers who made the call — speaking up as a passenger or a bystander could also be a deterrent.
"If you know that somebody's driving through floodwater, even if you're a passenger, or you know that somebody's planning a trip and intends to have a go at some stage, simply that tell them, 'No, it's not worth it'," he said.
Research also found that when one driver decided to find a route that wasn't flooded, others would follow.
Regardless of why people drove into floodwaters, authorities and researchers pleaded with drivers to not take the risk.
"Just a small error in judgement can lead to a fatal outcome," Mr Gissing said.