Driving through floodwater: exploring driver decisions through the lived experience

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Drowning is a major public health issue and drowning risks increase with floods. A risk factor for many flood-related drownings is intentional driving through floodwater. Despite this fact, there is currently a critical knowledge gap in understanding why individuals choose to drive through floodwater and the decisions that may lead to such actions. We propose that a more complete understanding of individuals’ decisions to drive through floodwater needs to be considered in the context of the lived experience. METHODS: Australian drivers (N=20) who had intentionally driven through floodwater participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis based in an interpretivist approach. FINDINGS: Past experience, individual perceptions (e.g., situation perceived as different to warnings), and the social and environmental context (e.g., pressure and encouragement from others, seeing other motorists driving through) emerged as major themes. Most salient was that although there was a common awareness of the risk posed by driving through flooded waterways, the decision to take this risk emerged as being heavily reliant on one’s ability to construct a sense of self-efficacy in the lead-up to the incident. DISCUSSION: This study is the first to explore through people’s lived experience the reasons why individuals’ decide to drive through floodwater. Campaigns can use this knowledge to combat this risky driving behaviour and ultimately save lives.