As Summer ended, a wave of floods struck in various region of the globe. This is a non-exhaustive list but in the last 3 months, India, Nepal, France, UK, Austria, Bolivia, and the US were all hit by severe floods. Their intensity actually took populations by surprise. Numerous deaths and severe material damage couldn’t be prevented, like in India and Nepal with almost 200 deaths combined. These events even prompted some government to shift their focus to their environmental policies.
To prevent additional deaths, it is up to each motorist to act reasonably and rationally. During such event, drivers may get trapped in their car, under pouring rain and with the level of water rising dangerously. While it is possible that some people find themselves surprised by the storm, others deliberately choose to drive in the water. This is a bad, potentially fatal idea because the amount of water may hide how deep the actual road is. This will lead to the car losing touch with the ground, floating, being dragged away, and potentially sinking.
If this happen to you, know that there are simple steps to follow to get yourself and your passengers out of the car fast, before the water rises. These steps are:
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Seat belt: off or cut
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Window: open or break. Use the resqme® seat belt cutter and window breaker if necessary. ONLY on tempered glass as opposed to laminated (check the label on your window to determine which type of glass it is)
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Out: onto the roof, children first. If the vehicle is not stable, try to reach the nearest and safest structure.
In any case, if you encounter a flooded road, don’t engage your vehicle on it and turn around!
To provide a simple recap of these steps, we created the pamphlet below. Print it, share it, and leave it with you in the car so your passengers can read it. These steps are simple to memorize and could save your life! Of course, we wish you will never have to put them into practice, but it is always good to be prepared! Stay safe everyone!
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