5 tips for driving on flooded roads

If it’s rained and then it’s poured, you might find yourself driving on flooded roads. Here are five tips that can help you stay safe and help to protect your car from damage.

• Reduce speed
• Leave space
• Expect the unexpected
• Stay visible
• Check your cover

Reduce speed

Driving on wet roads increases your risk of skidding. Your tyres don’t get the traction they need and you could lose control of your car. The best way to avoid this is to slow down.

Leave space

The Highway Code says your stopping distance will at least double when driving in wet weather. Leave plenty of space between you and other road users. And don’t forget about pedestrians – it's actually an offence to deliberately splash them by driving through puddles!

Expect the unexpected

Whether it’s hidden hazards, road closures, post-flooding debris, or even other drivers – you’ll need to pay close attention to what’s happening around you.

Try not to drive through water if you can, even if it’s not moving. This might mean finding a different route to take. Puddles and flood water can hide serious dangers beneath, and they may be deeper than you think.

If you have to drive through flood water, approach the water from the middle of the road. You’ll want to be in first gear with fairly high revs, and maintain a steady speed until you reach the other side¹. Test your brakes immediately afterwards, to ensure they haven’t been damaged by driving through water.

Stay visible

While you’re busy looking for hazards, make sure it’s easy for others to see you too. Turn your headlights if you can’t see more than 100m in front of you² – that's about the length of a football pitch³. If you’re turning, indicate well in advance so other drivers can accommodate you.

In case you break down, make sure you’ve got hi-vis vests or jackets for you and your passengers so you can be seen outside of your car, too.

Check your cover

We get it, accidents happen. Prepare yourself by checking your insurance and the steps you’d need to take to get help. Make sure you know what you are (and aren’t) covered for so you’ll know what to expect if you need to make a claim.

Swiftcover customers can log in to their secure online account to check their cover, 24/7. Don’t forget to check your details while you’re there, too. The amount we can pay towards your claim could be affected if we don’t have the right info for you.

Driving through heavy rain and floods can be very dangerous. If there’s an adverse weather warning in place or you don’t feel it’s safe to drive, it's probably best not to.