Researcher talks about driver behavior during monsoon season

The scenes of water-logged cars stuck in flooded washes and intersections continue with Monday night's downpour in the Phoenix area. Which brings up the question, why does this keep happening?

PHOENIX - The scenes of water-logged cars stuck in flooded washes and intersections continued with Monday night's downpour in the Phoenix area.

Which brings up the question, why does this keep happening? It could be because some drivers don't see the floodwater until it's too late.

According to a researcher who looked into this, oftentimes drivers see others driving through and assume they can make it too.

It's a wet and costly downside for drivers who either didn’t see the flooded roadway or thought their car could make it though.

There were at least four swamped vehicles at the flooded Greenway Road and I-17 underpass on Tuesday.

The cars are all totaled.

Why do drivers keep trying to go through risking so much? UArizona grad Ashley Coles researched driver behavior and says, "Most of the time they understand the risks."

She did extensive research on what compels drivers to enter flooded areas when she was at UArizona.

Coles, who now teaches geography, says her studies showed that campaigns like "turnaround, don’t drown" do have an impact on most drivers, raising their awareness of the risks of driving into flooded roadways or washes.

Cars stuck in flooding at I-17, Greenway

Several cars were trapped underneath the overpass at Interstate 17 and Greenway on the morning of August 17 after powerful storms hit the Valley during the overnight hours.