AAA Mid-Atlantic has been unable to keep pace with stranded motorists because of the recent rains, and the backlog keeps growing. With 5,000 calls inundating the company Sunday night alone, the advice it gives is simple: Don’t drive.

“Just stay inside,” John Townsend, spokesman for the District AAA, said Monday. “Inches of rain like this can be a matter of life and death.”

What most pedestrians and motorists don’t realize, Townsend said, is that flash-flood waters can reach speeds of up to 12 mph. At that speed, it only takes a current 6 inches deep to knock down and carry off a person and 24 inches to sweep away a motor vehicle.

Anticipating more heavy rain, AAA issued its own warning for Monday night, advising motorists not to drive in harm’s way.

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“Get home as quickly as possible,” Townsend said. “As long as there are reports [of severe weather], just stay off the roads.”

mmartin@dcexaminer.com