Multiple rounds of heavy rain are coming! What should I do if my car is soaked or washed away? This article explains it all, save it now!

Since June this year, heavy rains and floods have occurred in many parts of my country, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Anhui, Hunan and other places which have been repeatedly hit by the disaster. The disaster situation is serious and worrying.

According to China Weather Network, in the next few days, many places in the north, including the Northeast, will see multiple rounds of rainfall, with a wide range of rainfall and heavy local precipitation, and are still in the critical period of flood prevention . As for Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi and other places in the south, affected by monsoon airflow and wind shear, there will also be scattered heavy rainfall, with significant convection and diurnal variation characteristics of rainfall, and strong convective weather such as thunderstorms and strong winds in some places , and the rainfall will be more intense in the afternoon.
During the long-term and large-scale flood disaster, many videos of cars being submerged in water or swept away by flood water appeared online. Many friends were worried about the safety of the victims and had many practical questions: How should we drive in such weather? What should we do if our car is soaked in water? What should I do if my license plate is washed away?

Image taken from CCTV News

Driving in heavy rain

What should we pay attention to?

What should we pay attention to when driving in heavy rain?

1

Try not to go out

In bad weather, it is best not to go out if you can. After all, no matter how big your problem is, it is not as important as your own life safety.

2

Find a safe place to park

If the weather suddenly changes while driving, it is best to find a high and sheltered place nearby to park the car . However, it is best not to park the car under a tree or a building such as a billboard , because severe wind and rain may blow down branches and billboards and hit your car. After confirming that the car is parked, go to a nearby shopping mall, hotel or other sturdy building to take shelter from the rain , and then pick up the car after the weather improves and the water recedes.

3

Use car lights correctly

When driving in heavy rain, turn on the fog lights, low beam lights, clearance lights, and front and rear position lights, but remember not to turn on the high beam lights . Because the high beam lights shine upward, the emitted light is easily diffusely reflected by the fog, and from the driver's perspective, the front of the car looks like a vast expanse of white, which will seriously affect the field of vision.
If visibility is less than 100 meters, you must turn on the hazard warning lights, keep the speed below 40 km/h, and maintain a distance of more than 50 meters from the vehicle in front .

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4

Beware of tire "hydroplaning"

If you are driving on the highway and encounter heavy rain, in addition to doing the above points, you must also pay attention to the "hydroplaning phenomenon" of the tires, that is, when the vehicle passes through water at high speed, the adhesion performance between the car tires and the road surface may drop sharply, which can easily cause the car to slide out of control . You need to try to avoid driving the car close to the center of the road bend or the lanes on both sides of the flat road. If possible, it is best to drive in the middle lane .

5

Exit the highway

If visibility is less than 50 metres, reduce speed to below 20 km/h and exit the highway as quickly as possible from the nearest exit.

6

Try not to wade in water

Try not to wade in water while driving. If it is unavoidable, make sure to fully observe the depth of the water, whether the road surface is solid, and whether there are foreign objects and obstacles on the driving route before wading . When wading, you can use the vehicle tires as a reference standard. If the water can cover the car logo in the middle of the tire, it is best not to risk wading.

When driving into a flooded section, try to drive at a low speed, not too fast, and keep the speed below 30 kilometers per hour . At the same time, according to the observation before driving, keep going straight and pass through in one go. Do not stop, change gears or turn the steering wheel suddenly during the wading process .

7

Do not restart the engine after shutting down the engine in water

If your car stalls in water and the water level is high, remember not to try to restart it. Ignition at this time may cause water to enter the engine, and the insurance company may refuse to pay the claim .

If your car is flooded while you are driving

what do I do?

If you encounter flooding while driving and the water quickly submerges the car, it is recommended to follow the following steps:

1

Turn off the engine immediately

If you find that the water level is getting higher and higher while driving, and it is still rising above the logo on the wheel, it may be very dangerous. At this time, please turn off the engine immediately, get out of the car as quickly as possible, and quickly go to a nearby high ground .

It should be noted that you should not jump suddenly when getting off the car, because there may be sharp foreign objects in the water. If the water is too deep or the current is too fast and you cannot walk, you can climb onto the roof of the car to take shelter temporarily and wait for rescue .

2

Escape from the back door

Generally, the engine of a family car is located at the front of the car, so the front of the car is heavier and will sink faster. At this time, the air inside the car is concentrated in the rear of the car and transferred to the rear seats as much as possible, so that more time can be spent to escape from the rear door .

3

Knock on the window corner to escape

If the car door cannot be opened due to circuit failure caused by water immersion, or the water level reaches above the bottom edge of the car window glass, the car door will also be difficult to open due to water pressure. At this time, you can remove the seat headrest and use the sharp end to hit the corners of the car window glass . Remember not to hit the center of the glass. However, this operation requires a certain amount of strength and skills. Friends who have the conditions can practice it during daily safety training . It is best to prepare an emergency escape hammer in the car in case of emergency .

4

Take a breath before breaking the window

Take a deep breath before breaking the window to prevent yourself from being choked by water pouring in.

5

Stay calm after escaping and look for large floating objects

When a car is swept away by a rapid, as long as the car doors and windows are closed, it will not sink immediately and the water will still cover the head for a while. At this time, you must stay calm and try not to open the door or break the window in the rapid, as the rapid may sweep you away .

After getting out of the car, try to find shelter in surrounding houses, high walls and other solid buildings, but be careful to stay away from live electric poles, iron towers , etc., and do not climb onto the roof of a mud house. If there is no place to hide, because the car will not sink immediately, you can climb onto the roof to take shelter temporarily, or hold onto wooden tables and chairs, large pieces of foam plastic and other floating materials to avoid drowning.

The car was flooded

what do I do?

If you find that your car is flooded by heavy rain, it is recommended that you do the following:

1

Don't try to light a fire

Carefully observe whether the vehicle's engine/motor is flooded. If there are signs of flooding, do not try to ignite the engine, because the vehicle damage caused by ignition at this time may not be compensated . If you are not sure, you can contact the automobile roadside assistance company to send a professional tow truck to send your car to the repair shop for inspection.

2

Contact Insurance Company

If your vehicle is flooded, notify the insurance company as soon as possible while ensuring safety. Generally, the insurance company will arrange a professional tow truck to take your vehicle to the repair shop and conduct damage assessment, repair and claims settlement, etc.

3

Send to repair shop for inspection

Even if the vehicle can start and drive normally, it is best to send it to a repair shop for inspection as soon as possible . This is because some parts of the vehicle may be well sealed after being soaked in water. Long-term accumulation of water in the parts may cause metal parts to rust, rubber to age faster, or floor mats to mold and produce odors, which may affect the service life of the vehicle.

4

The car was washed away, report it to the traffic police

If your car is washed away by a flood and you cannot find it after the water recedes, you should report the incident to the traffic police immediately and keep a record of the report. Then contact the insurance company to confirm whether you have purchased the corresponding insurance, how to claim compensation, etc., and then go to the traffic management department and the insurance company to handle related business.

The license plate was washed away by water

what do I do?

Many friends may have encountered similar problems. When driving through water, the license plate was washed away. In this case, we can do the following:

1

Report to the police immediately

It is best to call the police as soon as possible and go to the local police station to file a case after the weather improves. This can avoid unnecessary losses caused by someone else's misusing the license before the license is reissued.

2

Replacement of license plate

Bring your ID and documents to the vehicle management office to reissue your license plate . You can consult the local vehicle management department for the materials you need to bring. Motor vehicles with non-local license plates may need to be reissued at the place where the license plate is registered. It is recommended to consult the local vehicle management department.

3

Hanging temporary license plate

It may take 3 to 5 working days to reissue a license plate. The vehicle management office will issue a temporary license plate, during which time the vehicle must be driven with the temporary license plate .

4

Submit Surplus or Damaged License Plates

If only one piece of the license plate is damaged or lost, the remaining part must be handed in to the vehicle management department when you apply for a replacement license plate .

5

If you find a license plate, give it to the police immediately

If you find someone else's license plate, you should immediately hand it over to the police . Don't try to put it on your own car. Putting someone else's license plate on your own car is considered a forgery of a motor vehicle license plate , which will result in the vehicle being detained, the driver being detained for up to 15 days, and a fine of 2,000 to 5,000 yuan. If the circumstances are serious and constitute a traffic accident or crime, the person will be held criminally liable in accordance with the law.

Finally, the rain is merciless, I hope everyone can survive the flood season safely.

References

[1] Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China

[2] JTG B01-2014 “Technical Standards for Highway Engineering”

[3] “Regulations on Motor Vehicle Registration” (Ministry of Public Security Decree No. 124)

[4] Wang Chang, Shang Junya, “Experimental study on the effect of different light penetration on driving safety in rainy and foggy weather”, Science Technology and Engineering, 2017.10

[5] Zhang Haiquan, Southeast University, 2016.

[6] Zhang Hui, Qingdao University of Technology, 2018.

[7] “How to deal with a car after it is soaked in water”, Automobile Repair and Maintenance, July 2013

[8] “What to do when driving in flooded water”, Li Xiaodong, Farmers’ Advisor, April 2006

[9] “How deep is the car safe to wade in water”, Wei Junqiang, Trade Union Expo, 2019.2

[10] “Heavy rain causes damage to cars, where do flooded cars go?” Liu Huanyu, 202108

Planning and production

Author: Erzhu Popular Science Creator

Planning丨Cui Yinghao

Editor: He Tong

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin