Why do drivers drive through flooded roads ignoring the road closed signs

[Plun]

Car insurance companies will not pay out if drivers ignore the road closed signs.

Will pay out if the car is parked such as in a car park or driveway and area floods. Know about 4 people who had this and paid out.

Where I live - there is a road that floods first and always see vehicles stuck in it. On the way to work, same thing - two exits on A road get closed

Depends on the car and the driver...
one of my cars will go through 1/2 metre of water without issue - and modern versions can do a metre - another of my cars - small puddle would be all...
some people have cars with snorkels allowing them to drive through with water over the roof and the car carries on...
other people have totally inappropriate cars, but are not terribly clever drivers...

take your pick :)

Signs don't always make clear exactly where the road is blocked. If the actual flood isn't visible from the point where the closure sign is, drivers trying to get to local destinations might proceed in hope that the flood is beyond their destination.

Of course, that doesn't explain why they continue once their wheels are getting wet!

Sometimes no-one comes and takes the flood signs down after the water has receded so people stop taking them seriously.

Also I think some people don't know what driving through a flood actually does to a car.

We have a road with a ford near me. There are signs as you approach from either side. There are depth markers in it which clearly show his deep it is.
After a few days of heavy rain, it's impassable. The roads toward it flood too.

It's perfectly possible to take another route which avoids it, which makes the drive around 5 minutes longer.

Yet every time we get heavy rain there'll be a few idiots who get stuck in it. And every time, people start saying the road should be "fixed" or there should be barriers, or how were they supposed to know it was actually deep.

I think that a lot of people are really detatched from real life. They don't know how the car that they get in and drive works. They don't know what happens when you drive through deep water, therefore don't know why not to do it. We have all this information in our pockets at the touch of a button, but the level of real world knowledge has plummeted massively.

If you drive through floods you are an idiot. You have no idea what’s under the water, any amount of debris could stop the car regardless of if you think it can get through

you are also breaking the law if you go through a road that’s been formally closed

Because they think they know best, and have no regard for why the road has been closed. Happens round here a lot and I have nosympathy for them

I can only imagine it's this - although as you say, why they'd try to drive through the water once they see it is a mystery.

The water company round here frequently "closes" the road in the village, although as there's only one long road going through the village they're rarely actually "closed" because of access. So I will drive through those (if I didn't I'd never get home).

Because people ignore 'road closed' signs all the time. Most of the time, there is absolutely no reason why you can't get to where you're going, so people have got into the habit of just ignoring the signs - until the day it really did mean 'closed ' . Then it's too late.

Some folks are rather optimistic about the depth of water their car can handle (or their driving skills).

Some folks know their car can handle the depth that road typically floods to.

Some folks hope the flood is beyond where they're going.

Some folks know damn well a road isn't still flooded but the signs are still up - often round here.

Again, locally to me, a main route might be 'closed' but if you know the back lanes theres a convoluted route using farm tracks and stupidly narrow lanes around whatever it is to get to where you want to be, but you'd need to be local to know that.

Some folks are, as humans always will be, just stupid.

I ignored one on Saturday and the road wasn't closed at all, not even a puddle. Got to where I wanted to be no problem. If I had seen water I would have turned round. But often the signs are left out too long.

We have something even worse near me - I spotted a massive hole under a country lane near me, what looked like a rabbit hole in the verge is 8 ft deep, and extends the width of the road. Tarmac on top is fine but it's floating on thin air. I told the council who put Heras fencing up as it's so unsafe. People keep snipping the cable ties and removing the Heras fencing even though they know why the road is closed!!!! Fair enough if they want to risk it but what about the poor person who comes along after them oblivious!!!

Depends on your car, I had a higher vehicle which sealed underneath that could cope with far deeper water than my current car could that’s lower, also knowing the road, water isn’t always even - where I used to live driving through the common flooded road saved 15 minutes so I often did and never broke down

The Council puts the signs out at the first hint of flooding which affects a small cul de sac off the main road, but doesn't stop the main road as it is a lot higher. People who use the road regularly now know this, so go through road closed signs and can do so without getting tyres wet 99 times out of 100.

Because they are often "road closed" signs forcing you to do major detours, when the road isn't actually closed.

So better ignore it and turn around if need be.

There's a road near me that has a permanent 'flood' sign on it. It's never had a hint of a puddle, let alone a flood.

we have a few roads that flood around us.
The road closed and flood warning signs sometimes go up in October and stay all winter.
The road floods, then clears, then floods.

One of the floods I will drive through, within reason. So I know the parameters. Usually it is not obvious if the road is flooded until you get really close. Then you can see how deep it is and make a choice. If it is too deep, or you don't keep to the centre line, then you are stuffed.
So I make a choice. But there are always cars that are stuck, and also times when I turn around but others plough through.
It is a LONG way round when it is flooded, which is why I assume people risk it.

But on the other hand, because of that regular experience with that road, I am much more wary of flooded roads, because I know that driving a couple of metres to one side or if the water is just a few inches deeper, then you will get stuck.

Because a lot of drivers are stupid.

We have an area in my wider location like this - a river floods the road. There are a lot of people up in arms as this river is protected and they want this road closed due to the pollution it causes as people go there specifically to drive through it. Regularly. It is a real problem. I wish their cars would die but unfortunately the people who do this have large 4 wheel drives and they get through no problem. It is signposted but is still technically a road, even though it goes through the river, so obviously there’s going to be some water anyway but after rain/flooding it becomes impassable (in theory), but this is when this particular “cohort” want to drive through it. Those who do say it’s their right to do so as it is a road. Which is true. But they’re not using it as a to b access. Anyone locally would avoid the road when it’s flooded, yet those who come to drive through it for funsies increases hugely so they’re definitely not using it because they have to.

You are not necessarily an idiot if you know what you are doing - a flood could be 4ft deep and full of debris, or it could simply be water covering the road to only a few inches - local context obviously gives much better knowledge than keyboard warriors online ;)

you are breaking the law if you go through a road that has been formally closed - but a red sign with white text saying something like road closed - flood is a) an advisory sign and b) doesn't formally close the road - to formally close the road you need a traffic order which includes things such as a two week warning period ahead of the closure date...

Is it stupid to drive through - depends on person / car / context
Is it illegal to drive through - unlikely, but if you end up in trouble you going to look pretty stupid...

even if your car can get through, by driving you are pushing more water out to the sides which does further damage to any houses/buildings at the side of the road. if the road is closed it has been assessed as not safe to be used.

People drive into floods to provide entertainment for the locals who actually know how much water is there. Loads of it around here, FaceAche is full of posts about is this road really flooded, can I get through, best advice is "try it and let us know if you can".

I don’t know. But my moron friend did this and wrote off her £100k car. 🙄 No insurance pay out and not the first time it’s happened to her.

Because obeying the sign often causes a load of hassle and they think they can make it/that often the signs are put up over cautiously.

Especially if they are in an SUV, even though it may be not a "proper" off road SUV they still think the extra height will give them an advantage.

Because Forrest Gump was right - stupid is as stupid does.

Maybe somebody told them to dip their headlights?