flooded creeks

The authorities are putting out the message about not crossing flooded creeks a lot on the radio. Perhaps its getting through, I'm not sure. The statistics don't seem to be supporting this.

However yesterday driving back from visiting a mate in the mountain areas west of here we came across a flooded creek which I assume noone would be daft enough to try to cross (although the road closed signs at the top of the road seems to suggest that somone may try.

In an interview on the radio with local advisers the question was asked "what about people driving 4WD vehicles, are they safer"

The answer was a clear no with the added information that most of the vehicles swept away being 4WD vehicles.

People (I suspect) are lulled into some false sence of security by the butch and macho images of their 4WD's bashing about splashing in puddles of mud or even crawling out of creeks.

Often enough these are really shallow or still waters and not moving very fast at all. When creeks flood its not like it seems on the TV Ads, in fact its more like this image of the waters streaming across the road. Note the depth maker ...


that's right, its about 1 meter deep. Here is a video of that water, I pan along with what seems to be the flow of the waters.



Would you attempt to walk that? If you did it would like be about the last thing you do.

Remember, if you can't walk it you can't drive it. Even still you need to be aware of the possibility of the road collapsing under the weight of the vehicle, especially when there is strong flows like this.

I just heard on the radio that a fellow who was rescued from a creek such as this was charged by the Police with "driving without due care and attention" ... he should consider himself lucky to be alive.

Like the radio is saying "don't cross flooded roads"