Watch Out For Mudslides On The Roadway

Spring is coming, and with it: mudslides.

You face many dangers when you get behind the wheel, from distracted drivers to animals crossing the street to your own car malfunctioning. Mudslides may not be your top worry, but if you know the impending signs, you’ll be prepared to act swiftly, and it could save your life.

What Causes Mudslides?

A landslide is when debris — including rocks, dirt and vegetation — breaks away and falls down a sloped surface. A mudslide can be more serious because it involves water and moves even faster.

Mudslides, also called debris flows, typically occur after the ground is suddenly drenched with rain. Water is absorbed quickly and destabilizes the slope, and waves of debris rush downward all at once.

Stay Alert, Be Prepared

Mudslides kill nearly 50 people every year. Any survival expert will tell you that your best chance of not becoming a statistic is to get out of the debris flow path. This involves staying alert to changing terrain conditions, including when you’re out on the roadway. 

Look for cracks in the pavement, especially near steep embankments. Falling rocks are indications of a possible impending mudslide. Deep indents on hillsides from water runoff also could lead to treacherous debris flow. When authorities warn of the potential for mudslides, evacuate the area if possible.

If you believe a mudslide is about to happen, quickly drive to the highest elevation possible out of the path of the debris flow. If your car is caught in the mudslide, don’t get out. Stay inside until emergency assistance arrives.

Towing Your Car After a Disaster

There’s no denying that getting caught in a mudslide is dangerous. If you are ever in one, once you get to a safe location, don’t go back for your car until local authorities deem it safe.

When mudslides occur, the potential is high for them to occur again shortly afterward in the same location. Also, mudslides often cause power lines to collapse, which poses a potential electrocution hazard.

You may be anxious to check on your stranded vehicle, but don’t go it alone. You will need a professional recovery towing company to retrieve your car, especially if it is positioned precariously. Don’t show up with a winch and your dad’s pickup truck — minimize injuries to your vehicle and yourself and call an expert.

Call Stauffer’s Towing for emergency towing services — mudslides are no match for a towing team with over 60 years of professional recovery experience.