A driving instructor shared the one thing you should never do when passing through deep water and flooding, as well as how to get through it safely to protect your car from damage
As September and the cold autumn weather is officially here to stay, the Met Office has predicted heavy rainfall across the UK. Should this continues for long, flash flooding on roads nationwide will most likely become a reality.
While most motorists will know to avoid driving anywhere during severe rainstorms, sometimes it’s unavoidable to get on the road. During such circumstances, practicing safe driving becomes crucial to prevent accidents on the slippery surfaces. However, flash flooding can also affect roads, creating a nightmare scenario for drivers caught in the deep water, potentially causing engine failure if vehicles become trapped in the deep water for extended periods.
To assist, driving instructor David Thomas from Stourbridge revealed the one thing motorists must never do when navigating deep water and flooding, alongside guidance for safe passage. He turned to TikTok to share his tips.
“Look at that, they’ve got waves,” David can be heard saying at the start of the video, which showed him seated in the passenger seat of his instruction vehicle, with a student behind the wheel.
Through the windscreen, viewers observe the car approaching a junction, where they prepare to turn right at the green signal. However, what David highlighted was the substantial puddle covering the carriageway, which had caused several vehicles to generate waves while driving through.
Meanwhile, ahead of them in the left lane, a smaller black vehicle concealed behind a white van appears stranded in the water.
“Engine flooded,” David stated. “You know what they probably did was come off the gas.”
He elaborated if you need to navigate through any kind of flooded area or deep puddle, the first thing you need to do is engage the car into first gear before you actually reach the deep water.
Then ensure there’s ample room for your car on the other side of the puddle before pressing your foot on the accelerator to drive through the puddle in one swift move without halting.
He went on to share the one thing you need to avoid doing in these situations to prevent your car’s engine from conking out.
“The worst thing you wanna do is come off the gas at any point while you’re going through the deep water, because water then goes into the engine, it gets sucked through the exhaust, goes through the engine and kills it,” David explained.
“You want the exhaust to constantly be blowing out the back while you’re going through deep water,” he added.
He further explained in the caption of the video: “To drive through deep water in a petrol car, proceed slowly in a low gear, keeping the engine revs high and steady by maintaining a constant accelerator pedal pressure and slipping the clutch in a manual car.
“The high revs create a bow wave, pushing water away from the engine bay and preventing water from entering the exhaust and stalling the engine. Do not stop halfway through, if possible, and test your brakes gently after you have driven through the water to dry them out.”