Posted in Defensive Driving, Safety
River Crossings in Darwin
Water or river crossings in Northern Territory is normal driving in the wet season, so the safest way is to drive across water crossings is to put the gear in low range, select a low gear I prefer 2nd. Not too fast but keep the revs up. Watch the video, its only takes 20 seconds. Don't freak out try to remain calm.
Learn about the safest way to drive through a river
Water Crossing Another View
The two question you need to ask yourself when faced with a water crossing are:
- Do I really need to drive through the water…. IF YES
- Is my vehicle equipped to do a water crossing…. IF YES
Is it a tidal river or creek, if yes you may need to wait a few hours for the tide to drop. Check how deep the water is, look for depth markers on the side of the road, is the water level going up or is it dropping. Don’t walk through the water as we all know what lives in rivers and creeks in the NT.
Try to work out what the crossing is made from rocks, sand, mud and where you will enter the water and where you will exit the water.
If you still feel the need to make the crossing, wind your windows down and leave your seatbelt off, select low range 4WD put your vehicle into 2nd gear, maintain a steady speed that produces a small bow wave in front of your vehicle, once in the water do not slow down.