Trapped, in a car, underwater. What to do?

[Circle_One]

I don't drive, so sober or not, I don't really have a problem.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Dang, you're really in deep poop if you have to break a window underwater. All that water is going to rush in, along with the broken glass, right into your face.

Yeah, it'd suck... but it would beat the alternative.

Edit: now that I think about it, though, if you wait for the pressure to equalize, then the glass shouldn't really explode into your face.

Fortunately, the only people I know who had to do anything like this kicked out a Lexan window to get out, so it didn't shatter.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Yeah, it'd suck... but it would beat the alternative.

Edit: now that I think about it, though, if you wait for the pressure to equalize, then the glass shouldn't really explode into your face.

Fortunately, the only people I know who had to do anything like this kicked out a Lexan window to get out, so it didn't shatter.

Yeah, that's true. Who would be stupid enough to be underwater in a car and yet have the presence of mind to get out?

Most cars float nowadays, anyway.

 

[3.14]

i would start cruising for hot mermaids

 

[Panda]

If you can't manage to break or roll down the window, they showed on Mythbusters that if you can somehow manage to remain calm, you can quite easily hold your breath long enough until the pressure equals out, then simply open the door and swim to the surface.

The tough part is remaining calm.

They showed on Top Gear that this is a stupid idea. If you are in deep water the pressure takes to long to equalise and you drown.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Also, it doesn't really work in the situation I just described, but you can use the butt of a fire extinguisher as a sort of battering ram to break the side window.

Mythbusters showed that is very difficult to do. The easiest way to break the window was to use a tool specifically for that purpose. It looks like a tiny hammer with a point at the end. As hard as they tried to break the window without it, it wasn't happening. So much, they even had doubts about the window breaking tool. To their surprise, it worked with very little effort.

This is a pretty good time for this thread. Someone in Indianapolis, Indiana, just died recently when he lost control of his truck on ice, his truck slid off a bridge and into a lake. Made me think about getting one of those hammer things, just incase.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This is a pretty good time for this thread. Someone in Indianapolis, Indiana, just died recently when he lost control of his truck on ice, his truck slid off a bridge and into a lake. Made me think about getting one of those hammer things, just incase.

Yeah... I had a LifeHammer in my old van in a bracket that I screwed to the dashboard; it's got a hammer on one end and a seat belt cutter on the other. Unfortunately, I forgot to take it out when I sold the van.

I've also heard good things about the ResQMe, which has one big advantage over the LifeHammer: put it on your car key ring and it's right there within arm's reach (at least for the driver) even after a big crash or rolling your car... but you don't need to muck your dashboard up with screw holes for a mounting bracket like you do if you want that functionality with a LifeHammer.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Yeah... I had a LifeHammer in my old van in a bracket that I screwed to the dashboard; it's got a hammer on one end and a seat belt cutter on the other. Unfortunately, I forgot to take it out when I sold the van.

I've also heard good things about the ResQMe, which has one big advantage over the LifeHammer: put it on your car key ring and it's right there within arm's reach (at least for the driver) even after a big crash or rolling your car... but you don't need to muck your dashboard up with screw holes for a mounting bracket like you do if you want that functionality with a LifeHammer.

That could come in quite handy in a number of situations.

Personally, I prefer my 9mm.