@article {bnh-2758, title = {Motorist behaviour during the 2015 Shoalhaven floods}, journal = {Australian Journal of Emergency Management}, volume = {31}, year = {2016}, month = {04/2016}, abstract = {
People entering floodwaters by vehicle constitutes a major cause of flood fatalities in Australia and globally. Over the 20 years to 2014, 81 people have died attempting to drive through floodwaters. These comprise 43 per cent of all flood fatalities for this period. Despite Australian emergency services agencies mounting behavioural change campaigns and urging people not to enter floodwater, the behaviour persists. This paper draws on fieldwork carried out during flooding in the Shoalhaven region of NSW, Australia, in August 2015 to examine the effectiveness of the current combination of warnings, education and road signage to stop motorists entering floodwater. The fieldwork identified that 84 per cent of drivers at a monitored site, notably males and four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles, dismissed road closure signs and drove into floodwater. It is plain that further work is needed to reduce the frequency of motorists entering floodwater. This requires the development of a holistic approach including education, regulation and engineering measures.
}, url = {https://ajem.infoservices.com.au/items/AJEM-31-02-06}, author = {Andrew Gissing and Katharine Haynes and Coates, Lucinda and Chas Keys} } @conference {bnh-2087, title = {How do we reduce vehicle related deaths: exploring Australian flood fatalities 1900-2015 - non peer reviewed extended abstract}, booktitle = {Adelaide Conference 2015}, year = {2015}, address = {Adelaide, Australia}, abstract = {

Research proceedings from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC \& AFAC Conference in Adelaide, 1-3 September 2015.\ 

}, author = {Andrew Gissing and Katharine Haynes and Coates, Lucinda and Chas Keys} } @article {bnh-3415, title = {Reducing deaths from driving into floodwaters}, journal = {Crisis Response Journal}, volume = {11}, year = {2015}, month = {12/2015}, pages = {66-67}, chapter = {66}, abstract = {

Motorists entering floodwaters are a major cause of flood fatalities: fast flowing water, even just 30cm deep, can wash a car off the road and drivers may be unable to see what lies beneath flooded roads, with large sections being washed away.

}, url = {http://www.crisis-response.com/archive/article.php?num=990}, author = {Andrew Gissing and Katharine Haynes and Coates, Lucinda and Chas Keys} }