It was another vehicle-versus-floodwater matchup—and, once again, the vehicle did not win.This time, a Tesla drove through floodwater in New Haven, Connecticut,
It was another vehicle-versus-floodwater matchup—and, once again, the vehicle did not win.
This time, a Tesla drove through floodwater in New Haven, Connecticut, on Sunday only to end up floating.
So why can a heavy vehicle float in water that doesn’t look all that deep?
A vehicle floats when it displaces an amount of water equal to its weight. Cars are mostly enclosed space and trapped air, not solid steel, so many passenger vehicles can begin to float in roughly a foot of water.
And moving water makes the danger worse. Even before a car starts to float, water creates an upward buoyant force that decreases its weight on its tires. Less weight on the tires means less traction. Then a current pushes sideways on a vehicle that is already losing its grip.
Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can cause major trouble, and around 12 inches can float many cars. Larger vehicles are not invincible, either.
So what depth of floodwater is safe to drive through? There really isn’t a reliably safe depth if water is covering the road. From the driver’s seat, it can be impossible to judge how deep it is—or know whether the pavement underneath has washed away.
Turn around. Find a detour. Floodwater is more powerful than it may appear.
