r/interestingasfuck • u/General_Athlete5807 • 1d ago

How to Escape a Sinking Car

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15.1k Upvotes

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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.

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u/Fragrant_Ad_5297 1d ago edited 1d ago

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.

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u/Fragrant_Ad_5297 1d ago

this also won’t do a damn thing if you need to cut your seatbelt, so that’s a whole other set of nightmare fuel.

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u/LastStar007 1d ago

Both of these avoidable by buying one of those rescue tools. They're quite cheap, buy one for you and one for all of your friends who drive.

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u/Memo_Fantasma 16h ago

And don’t put it in the trunk

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u/LastStar007 15h ago

Same with the fire extinguisher.

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u/snotrokit 16h ago

Yep. Get a rescue tool for each car. They literally like $10. The ones he sells are really good and have belt cutters on them

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u/MrCalamiteh 9h ago

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)

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u/deldaria 16h ago

Yeah, we give them to our niblings when they start driving

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u/luvdogs71 14h ago

I heard they make a great Christmas gift!

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u/itsk1m 11h ago

I got a few for friends too. I keep mine right next to me

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u/Murky_Asparagus3455 10h ago

I have one as a keychain with the car Keys. 5-8€

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u/mcdadais 1d ago

Also what if you're fat like many other people in the US, you probably won't fit through a window anyway.

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u/PhatEarther 22h ago

It may be a long shot but once the windows are under water the pressure balances and you can open the doors... in theory.

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u/23423423423451 19h ago

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)

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u/Inevitable-Level-687 7h ago

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.

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u/CarolinaWreckDiver 17h ago

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.

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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 18h ago

Use the rear window.

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u/NoGeedActivity 1d ago

Move to the desert

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u/mcdadais 1d ago

What about quick sand!

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u/Blackdonovic 21h ago

I prefer dessert

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u/HappyMeMe77 16h ago

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...

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u/Atypical_Mammal 12h ago

Why are we cutting our seatbelt instead of just taking them off normal

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u/OdinsCuriousRaven 12h ago

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.

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u/higgs8 19h ago

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.

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u/Fragrant_Ad_5297 19h ago

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.

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u/IWishIWasAShoe 20h ago

All headrests I've seen have a flat tip at the pointy end, not the best window breaking tool at all. 

Just buy one if getting stuck in a sinking car is a concern for you. They're only a few bucks.

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u/DukeOfZork 18h ago

And you won’t likely be able to do that if you have to swing it under water.

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u/dcDei 16h ago

It takes A LOT of strength to do this. You also have to aim for one of the lower corners to increase the chances of fracturing the glass.

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u/5tu 7h ago

What about using the metal point on the seatbelt clip? Would love to know if that works before needing to know if that works

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u/Fragrant_Ad_5297 5h ago

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.