Did not know that rolling down a window becomes impossible.
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/11/10/how-to-escape-a-sinking-car/
They also have keychain window breakers/belt cutter http://www.amazon.com/resqme-Original-Keychain-Escape-Tool/dp/B0042VTYSW/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1387571114&sr=8-14&keywords=glass+breaker+seatbelt+cutter
You mean to tell me you’ve never seen a Hollywood movie before? Just fun’n . . . the other night I was watching an old Brian De Palma film, Blow Out . . . in it John Travolta’s character dives into a lake to save a girl who was trapped in a car that went over an embankment. He had to use a large rock that was conveniently placed near the submerged vehicle in crystal clear water to break the window and save the damsel.
Lunchbox hit it, I keep a seat belt cutter/window punch in the console of our POVs.
I remember when we started teaching people helicopter egress training in the military. We had almost 60 guys drown in three accidents that year - helos going down at night, at sea.
Remember that your right hand side is always your right hand side, even when you are upside down and it’s zero visibility or at night. People died because they got disoriented.
I’m also a fan of lunchbox’s idea, I keep a seatbelt cutter\window breaker Velcroed to the visor in front of me. I have to cross over a lake to get to church on Sunday. Since it’s Texas, there is not much water in the lake right now. But it would suck badly to drown with my lungs full of mud. I have a different exit planned.
Pull gun from holster, blow out window and exit is my plan A.
A seat belt cutter is great. A cheap $6.00 center punch is great for car windows as well.
Have heard that spring loaded punch was used by EMT/Cops/criminals a like to pop window quick back in the day. Have always wanted to try it;).http://www.harborfreight.com/spring-loaded-center-punch-621.html
On my post-Christmas shopping list. Thanks.
One of the first movies I ever watched on VHS, sorry, I mean Sony Betamax.
They certainly don’t make movie trailers like they used to. :eek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU2JVVd9xRc
They do work well. I used to cut people out of vehicles for a living. I’ve watched people bounce batons/Kel-Lites/Streamlights/Maglites off auto glass, but a cheap punch will get you in quickly. It’s also much less dangerous to the people inside.
Nothing like using a baton to bust a window, and smash the trapped driver’s jaw in the process. Yeah, I’ve seen that. :rolleyes:
I carry a resqme so does the wife but I always have just the ignition and gas key on a ring with the resqme no other keys ! because I hate them banging around on the dash 
also got a few as gifts long time ago
when I was a medic we use those punch things often blanket the victim first often its the door is damaged and window won’t roll down we need to get inside and to pry the door open and you want the window broken first so when prying open it won’t blow all over but they are pretty fun to do to a window most of the times windows are gone when ya roll up though
ditto serious student on hitting !!!
we also use to practice a lot on vehicles and was a fun time to just blow out windows and hurst tool the cars to death hahahahhaha
trying to break a window underwater by swinging something at it is pretty impossible unless its a sharp pointy thing and its straight on like a pry bar
part of my dive career we did water rescue and I was one of the divers but often by the time we are on scene its body recovery not rescue 
Just wrapped one of those this afternoon to go in the wife’s stocking.
I changed the way my kids are seated in my car after reading several articles on this after watching a mythbusters episode a few years back
I have several seat belt cutters and window breakers where I can get them from the drivers seat…because it’s likely I have to get at least one infant out myself, and help two other children who are swimmers egress
Was just thinking of these situations.
A couple of weeks ago in the DFW area we had a severe ice storm which left several inches of frozen rain on the ground. Snow plows pushed the ice to the sides of the road but on a local bridge crossing a lake the iced they pushed quasi formed a ramp along a guard rail. A young inexperienced driver was traveling over the icy bridge early one morning and lost control sending her over the guard rail and bridge. The distance from the bridge to the lake is very survivable (might knock one unconscious if not wearing seatbelt). The young woman drowned in her truck, unable to escape.
What a terrible way to go. I hope she was knocked unconscious first, then drowned.
Two lessons learned: 1)Drive slow on ice 2) Have a plan if you and your car go overboard.
:eek: Holy crap! Just goes to show that the military can be a hazardous profession even in non-combat instances.
Great topic. I need to get some of these. Two for each car and one for each keychain (mine, wife’s, kids).
I see two basic options for the glass breaker - spring loaded and hammer, but is one style better than the other (when intended for use from inside the vehicle and fully submerged), as opposed to by a person trying to perform a rescue from outside the vehicle?
The spring loaded breaker does not need to be swung (which would be difficult if under water), but how good are the springs? I’m guessing these springs don’t get a high degree of engineering testing to ensure they 1) maintain their strength if left compressed and 2) always develop sufficient force to shatter the glass.
I don’t know where these are made - I’m guessing China. Regardless, I am skeptical of there being top quality rust resistant steel being used in the springs. These aren’t Pmags.
The hammer version would seem to be more fool proof, with less potential to malfunction, but would they work if one is completely submerged? How much force can one generate swinging their arm from within a seriously confined area and while completely underwater?
How good are you at swinging a hammer with a broken arm? Not very.
If you are wrapped up in a seatbelt, what is your range of motion? Not as much.
If you have a spring-loaded punch, could you just press it against the glass and push? Probably.
It’s all a guessing game, you pays your money and takes your chances.
Good point.
If you have the room in the vehicle and the money, you could buy both.
When you are a rescuer performing vehicle extrication or heavy rescue, you have the benefit of lots of tools, and greater freedom of movement. So you carry a lot of different tools. But usually, you also have less time.
I used to love digging people out of cars. Imagine a Rubik’s cube connected to a time bomb. Unlock the puzzle wrong or too late, and somebody dies. But if you enjoy adrenaline, it’s a fun job.