Your car can’t protect you from floodwater. If it’s flooded, forget it.

With holidays upon us, and the severe weather season well and truly underway, the Queensland Government’s latest instalment in the long-running If it’s flooded, forget it campaign is a timely reminder about the dangers of driving in severe weather.

Your car can’t protect you from floodwater explores what happens to your car in floodwater and reminds Queenslanders that flooding can take anyone by surprise.  It’s a powerful and confronting ad, and it needs to be.  Vehicle-related incidents are a leading cause of flood related deaths, with more lives lost in Queensland than anywhere else in Australia.

Driving during severe weather in Queensland, you never know what’s around the corner.  A car can be swept away in as little as 15cm of floodwater, and even in shallow floodwater, steering, electrics and the engine can all fail.  Alarmingly, research suggests many drivers overestimate their car’s ability to drive through water, even if they’ve never tried.

From hot and dry conditions to torrential downpours Queensland’s weather can change in a flash.  So, before you head out in the car; check the weather, and the roads, and have a plan to stay safe when severe weather strikes.  Always drive to the conditions, and if in doubt, wait it out.

If it’s flooded, forget it is managed by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority as part of Get Ready Queensland.

Be sure to share this important campaign with your family and friends this severe weather season.  Head to www.qld.gov.au/FloodedForgetIt for expert advice and practical tips and be sure to follow @GetReadyQueensland on social media.