I think insurance generally covers for stupidity otherwise there would be a lot of losers.

Well, they may do - after all, insurers don't pay out if you leave your car unlock or keys in the lock...

I don't think it's purely a lack of intelligence, but just as much a lack of common sense, as your example of the judge below demonstrates - a person who should, in theory, know better.

The oft-quoted example of the 'absent-minded professor' is quite similar - people with significant intelligence who often don't concern themselves with everyday things, sometimes because of a snobbishness towards them, but often because it just doesn't occur to them to think about it.

On the floods thing there is a video on social media of a DPD van floating away crossing a ford, I think in Wiltshire.

There was a case a few years ago where a Judge in the First-tier Tribunal drowned when his car floated in very similar circumstances.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/oct/23/judge-drowned-drove-flooded-ford?

I didn't know him but several of my then colleagues did.

I don't think it's purely a lack of intelligence, but just as much a lack of common sense, as your example of the judge below demonstrates - a person who should, in theory, know better.

If you read the article it was his wife who was driving and they simply followed the satnav. There's nothing that special about tribunal judges; requirement is to be a solicitor or barrister on n years standing.

I would say that other than a high level of intelligence, I would say that I would want every judge to have a high level of common sense. Odd why you mentioned the passenger's occupation (hence my assumption as to who was at fault) when it was his wife's fault as she was the driver. Maybe nothing.

Satnavs give information about which route to go generally or about congestion - they do not give (unless someone uploads/tells providers and they add it) specific information about how deep any flood water is during stormy weather - at most, a report of local flooding given as a general warning, and then, normally on well-used roads where user-reporting or emergency services provide useful information.

Frankly, if a driver cannot judge for themselves whether it is safe to drive through flood water or that someone were, for example, driving too fast (given the conditions) to spot it and stop in time, then they don't deserve to be behind the wheel - whoever they are. Bad workman and tools and all that.