Driving in the wet

The rolling thunder and bursts of lightning in the sky only mean one thing (no, it doesn’t mean Thor is coming), and in our part of the world, it means the rainy season is here.

And when the rain comes it signals a whole lot of starts and ends. For fashionistas, gladiator sandals are out and boots are in; for students, summer is over and school is about to start.

For the driving employees, traffic will worsen because school has started. For car owners, car wash bills will be lower because washing is now optional.

But this also means that we have to flex our flood driving muscle as we brace for La Niña. Your newsfeed will now be flooded (pun intended) with our never-ending teleserye of Manila floods.

It gets worse every year that you start thinking that Manila is Atlantis and is sinking.

So how do you stay sane with the really bad traffic and flash floods? Here are some tips:

1. If you hesitated, then it’s probably not a good idea.
Your first instinct is usually correct; and if your first instinct is that the flooding is too high, then it probably is.

Be aware that your car can float even if there is only one foot of water. When this happens, you have no control of the car because it has lost its grip on the ground.

Look for an alternative route or wait it out in a safe place.

2. If it looks like its not going to end well, don’t start it.
With so much technology around, you can easily check the weather and traffic situation. If you know that it’s going to rain and the area you are going is notorious for floods, like a bad relationship in the making, don’t even go there.

3. If you have no choice, you can have both.
Lanes, I mean. If there is no traffic and you feel that the flooding is not deep enough, drive in the middle of the road. Roads crown in the middle to make sure that water flows to the drain.

4. If you passed into flood up to the middle part of your rims, there is a big chance your brakes got wet.
Pump it in a safe part of the road to dry it.

5. Preserve your phone battery.
You never know how long you will be out on the street, and even if you have a phone charger in the car, in a really bad situation you might need to go on foot.

6. Prepare a “go-home” bag.
Include food, a set of clothes and drinking water. A first aid kit and emergency tools such as jumper cables, flashlights, blankets and hand crank radio will also come in handy.

7. Be considerate. It is best for all.
If one car is already traversing the floodwater, don’t rain on his parade. Not only will it be annoying but will also unsettle too much water that can result to more damage.

8. As long as the engine is on, the outward force coming out of the muffler will expel the water.
You can help this by lightly stepping on the acceleration pedal periodically.

9. Refrain from changing gears while driving in floodwater.
The change in engine speed can cause water to be sucked back in the exhaust. Use the lowest gear possible. For automatic cars, that will be L or 1.

10. In the event that your car stalls in a flood or is in a flood for a long time, do not restart it.
It might be best to have a mechanic see it first. Restarting the engine can cause serious damage.

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