Assessing the risk of vehicle instability due to flooding

Abstract

Abstract Flooding can destabilize vehicles which might, in turn, exacerbate the negative effects of floods when vehicles are swept away by flows, and lead to economic loss and fatalities. In order to suitably manage floods, it is necessary to determine the risk of instability to which vehicles in flood‐prone areas are subject. This paper develops a methodology to estimate this risk based on the characteristics of floods and the vehicle fleet located in potential flood‐prone areas. This risk is determined by the statistical integral of the instability hazard and vehicles' vulnerability. The instability hazard was established by a stability function of partially submerged cars and flood frequency, while vulnerability was calculated by combining the susceptibility and exposure of cars. Our methodology was applied in the towns of Alfafar and Massanassa (Spain). It found that the annualized instability risk due to flooding could be relatively high on most streets and roads, with values reaching the order of 8.4 at‐risk vehicles per hectare/year.

Keywords

• floods
• risk of vehicle instability
• vehicle instability hazard
• vehicle stability
• vulnerability of vehicles