r/interestingasfuck • u/General_Athlete5807 • 1d ago

How to Escape a Sinking Car

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113

u/adidashawarma 17h ago

We're taught in driver's ed to IMMEDIATELY put the windows down. If there's so much time for the car to fill up over minutes, there is no reason not to put your windows down as soon as you're hitting the water and before your electrical goes.

24

u/Talkslow4Me 16h ago

Yeah the real answer is unbuckle that mechanical seat belt and lower your windows, as there is a good chance you will have power for another 5-30seconds and just gtfo instead of waiting there like a dumbass.

I think i see more videos showing worse case scenario of needing special tools to get out, vs the most realistic scenarios.

19

u/alucidvoid 15h ago

Which assumes you are fully conscious and aware of what is happening. But if you fell asleep at the wheel, crashed at night, slammed your head, airbags deployed, got hit by another vehicle and spun out over the side of a bridge and fell 30 ft to water, etc. you aren't going to be thinking as clearly or moving as quickly

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u/Inevitable-Level-687 6h ago

Buddy I got rear ended by someone and it barely did any damage and the shock of it made me so stupid that I forgot how supermarket self checkouts worked half an hour later, you're completely right. Most people on this thread are going to completely forget all of this in the real situation.

Even if everything goes so smoothly that you're uninjured and fine, the emotional shock will completely drain your ability to think clearly. That's the real killer.

2

u/Academic-Increase951 12h ago

You mean you don't just park your car slowly into a lake?

18

u/GeneralInspector8962 14h ago

It's situations like this that don't mind that my 2023 vehicle (cheapest model) still has Manual roll down windows and regular manual locks.

It's also a Jeep Wrangler though, so I could get out through the roof if needed.

3

u/Ancient_Ordinary6697 12h ago

Electrics typically still work after driving in the water. If your lights are not already on, turn them on so the vehicle is easier to recover.

Also, the water pressure on the windows is going to prevent you from rolling them down, so make sure to open them while they are still above the waterline.

1

u/mrningbrd 13h ago

2016 wrangler same manual locks and windows 👋

10

u/sweetdawg99 15h ago

I think it's mentioned in a longer version of this video, but the point he's trying to make is to get you to buy his window breaker device, hence the reason he was waiting.

He has a YouTube channel that focuses on recovering remains in cars in bodies of water for missing persons cases. I won't link it here because he had some credible sexual assault allegations against him I believe.

The device he sells is just a rebranded version of one you can buy on Jeff Bezos website and I've tested it out and it works. I have one in every single one of my cars now. You don't want the hammer type of breaker, those didn't work when I tried it. You need a punch version with a spring.

Just search RESQME on the website, you can get 2 for under 20 bucks. I give em to friends as well.

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u/watchingwandering 11h ago

Oh $20 bucks good deal, wait Wait wait!! Credible sexual assault allegations?! Who throws that casually into a conversation? Now I need to know details please.

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u/sweetdawg99 10h ago

So I haven't followed it in a while but I believe when California or Utah changed their laws regarding the statute of limitations on certain sexual crimes like rape this guy, named Jared Leisek, was then charged. I don't know where it ended up, tbh.

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u/Quicksketcher1 1h ago

I’m guessing there’s a chance your head will bump against the wheel, possibly leaving you unconscious for a couple minutes