Floodwaters and vehicle hydrodynamics: A deep dive into risk mitigation unraveling vehicle stability in floods

Vehicles are frequently impacted objects during floods, susceptible to being washed away when the flow velocity and water depth surpass specific thresholds. Thus, understanding the characteristics of vehicle instability in floodwaters is crucial for establishing effective safety guidelines. This paper presents a comprehensive review, delving into previous studies on flooded vehicle stability during flood events and assessing progress in guideline formulation spanning from 2010 to 2023. According to the literature, 78 % of the previous investigations focused on the stability of static vehicles, while only 22 % considered vehicles in motion. Previous studies on vehicle stability during tsunamis have not been well-explored. Moreover, emergency vehicles, including police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, received little attention and were only considered in two studies. On the other hand, extensive research has been conducted on defining the critical vehicle orientation with respect to incoming flow, which is reported to occur when the flow direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal vehicle axis. However, it is expected that this review will serve as a foundational resource, inspiring researchers to identify areas requiring attention and delve deeper into producing general safety guidelines. The ultimate goal is to prevent fatalities related to flooded vehicles and contribute to the broader field of flood risk mitigation.