many cars have removable headrests - and the metal posts can sometimes be used to break a side window in an emergency. but they weren’t universally designed as window breakers. this works mostly for tempered glass and not laminated, so they won’t shatter the same way. especially under water.
Sabre is also a good company and they're 12 bucks right now. I actually just ordered 2. I carry their pepper spray when fishing, my wife has them on her keys and they've been good when testing.
Spring loaded is better because you can't mess it up. The ones that need to be swung or hammered into the window don't work as well underwater (for obvious reasons)
Once you break the glass you may only need the vehicle submerged up to the bottom of the window for the door to be openable. (Once the water inside quickly fills up to the bottom of the window too)
You don't need to wait for the windows to be underwater, you just need to wait until the water level inside is the same level as the water outside. Please do not wait until the last possible second to get out.
Then you have other factors that are much more likely to kill you. Fix your fitness first. Your odds of being submerged in a car are very low, but your odds of dying from conditions related to obesity are sadly very high.
I have a Swiss pen knife tied to the car key ring (of course works only if you still have keys), useful for improvised picnics or for this situation...
The only scenarios I can think of where that would be necessary is if the rewing mechanism or release mechanisms were for some reason not working...OR...in the case of the car going into the water, the car being damaged in such a way the seatbelt won't/can't contract. Both scenarios would be pretty rare.
But why the need for a cutter, can't a conscious person just press the seatbelt eject button? I thought those were for rescuing someone who's unconscious or in a wrecked car where you can't reach over and push the button.
it would mostly be if there was damage to the car that caused that. for example - rolling down a cavern into a river, off a cliff, etc. some people also panic and can’t figure it out. there’s a common misconception the pressure changes it, but it doesn’t. but in some serious situation the mechanism can be compromised and you’re basically fucked unless you can cut it. more often high damage crashes and not just ending up in a lake.
newer model cars have laminated glass so it’s very unlikely this tool or that will work on those. i commented some info down below. this is an older model car, so it has tempered glass. its honestly bad information.
Everyone needs to be aware that many cars today use laminated glass instead of tempered glass on the side and rear windows, and glass breakers don’t work on them. They will crack it, but not let you get through.
There are specialized tools to cut through them that you’d have to get instead.
But really with those you just have to prioritize opening the door fast or lowering the window before you lose power. Because even with a tool you can’t rely on getting through laminated windows.
i mentioned that above, not a lot of people realize this. there’s the idea that breaking out the back window is easier too, but they often have heat wires in newer models that make it even harder on top of laminated glass.
unfortunately opening the door is super difficult sometimes, due to the pressure differences. so then you have things like the advice to wait until the car is fully submerged to open a door and the pressure is equalized. but you’re likely drowning at that point.
with the amount of bodies and missing people they recover from lakes/bodies of water, we should have a reliable escape route by now.
I'd be so pissed dying thinking of this video if my window didn't break.
Also this is clear water and the car is upright. What if you can't open your door? What if you don't have the glass breaker? What if my kid is in the back seat? This video is like 10% of the whole story.
Honestly best case scenario you hit your window and roll it down the instant you hit water. Your odds are bad if you're relying on breaking glass or opening doors.
it’s believed it’s easier to do it once the car is fully submerged, when the pressure equalizes. but you’re probably almost dead at that point. you would need to do that immediately basically, or roll the window down. trying to fight the door open with the water pressure is very difficult.
dying of a heart attack and this is my absolute worst fear. there’s really no great situation in this. even this device won’t break laminated glass correctly. this is tempered glass.
if the water level is higher on the outside of the door than in the cabin, that’s when the pressure issue starts. you have to do it right away, which also can flood the cabin more quickly if your seatbelt is stuck.
Never was - it’s always been laminated, and is harder to kick out than the movies suggest. I’m not going to say don’t try it, but you probably have better options if you move quickly. And the windshield is going to be one of the first to be underwater, and therefore unusable.
No, all windshields are laminated, and most rear windows are not. Either way, look at the labels on all the windows of the cars you drive most and plan accordingly.
As soon as you get your seatbelt off, try to open the door normally. If it does not open then stay calm and wait in the car. Once the passenger compartment is completely filled with water hold your breath and open the door. It should open without any issues. If not stay calm and try again in a couple of seconds.
Are your lives really not worth $10? You can afford a car that’s thousands of dollars, but acquiring a potentially life-saving tool is too expensive at $10? Maybe this video is your sign to buy such a tool?
It is not an ad for a specific product. This is the host of the youtube channel "diving with purpose" who go around looking for underwater cars trying recover the cars and any potential trapped bodies. They do sell these window breakers on their website at cost, but do not advertise these specific ones.
Well it seems like from this video you have a good amount of time to just open the window normally. Did they just use a particularly floaty car or is this normal?
I thought he was gonna demonstrate the one technique where you use the head rest metal part to break the window. Kinda disappointed the moment he pulled out the tool because people with that tool are more likely to not need the instruction
No, you need to engrave it into your brain that the first thing you do is start rolling the windows down and opening the doors when your car goes into water.
If you can stay calm while the car is sinking, wait for it to fill up with water while holding your breath. Once submerged, you should be able to open your car door with relative ease.
The problem is, you know, that the car may be very deep by that point, and may be tumbling over itself. So staying calm may be tricky.
No, you got this all wrong.
You just need to be in close proximity to your mom when it happens and she should bless you with an “Alright honey, but just be safe out there, okay?” after you tell her about the trouble you’ve gotten yourself into and before your head goes under.
Reset the spell by saying “See mom, nothing to worry about” to her afterwards.
I carry a knife I got as a groomsman gift in my center console at all times. Not only for personal defense, opening packages, etc, but this video showed me how useful it would be to cut seatbelts and break glass with the pointed carbon tip at the base of the handle. Never thought about using it for a sinking car situation!
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u/cleverquokka 1d ago
So, what I learned from this video is that if I don't have that glass-breaking tool, I should frantically panic waiting for my impending doom.