Any car accident is scary, but being trapped inside a sinking car is terrifying. Luckily, you and your passengers have a good chance of getting out of a sinking car if you stay calm and act quickly. In this article we will know. The best way to escape a sinking car. Unfasten your seat belt as soon as the vehicle enters the water, open or break the window, and get out with the other passengers. Start the evacuation with children. Prepare for accidents when driving into a body of water by keeping a glass breaker in your car and rehearsing your escape plan.
Quick evacuation
Follow this step to survive in this extreme situation:
The best way to escape a sinking car
Place hands on the steering wheel in the 10 and 2 positions. Hitting your vehicle with water can cause the airbag system in your truck to deactivate. You must wear a seat belt to protect yourself from serious injury.
Keep calm
Try to remain calm and act quickly. Panic reduces energy and wastes precious air. Focus on what is happening and the steps you need to take to get out of the car.
Unfasten your seat belt, open a window or door, and swim out of the car. You will only have about 30-60 seconds to act before your vehicle sinks underwater and evacuation becomes next to impossible.
If children or other passengers in the car might need help, don’t worry about unfastening them just yet. Your priority is to separate yourself to open an escape route as quickly as possible.
Tip: Don’t call emergency services until you’re out of your car. Making a call will take precious seconds and reduce your chances of being rescued.
Open the car window.
With your seat belt unbuckled, act quickly to open the window before the water rises above the window. Once the water floods the window, it will be difficult for you to open or break it. If your vehicle has power windows, they should continue functioning for several minutes after the car has entered the water.
Don’t try to exit through the door. The water pressure behind the door will make it almost impossible to open it for a few seconds after the car is in the water. Even if you manage to open the door, this will cause the vehicle to flood with water, and everyone in the cabin will drown faster.
Break the window if you can’t open one
If you cannot open the windows, or if they only open halfway, you will need to break them. If you don’t have a pre-prepared glass crusher available, remove the headrest from the seat and hit the bottom corner of the window a few times with the headrest guides .
Since the front of the car is the heaviest and most likely to sink first, do not attempt to escape through the windshield. The windshield is designed to be more challenging to break than other windows. Instead, break the glass on the driver’s side or the rear passenger’s mirror.
Use your feet to break the window if you don’t have tools or heavy objects. Kick the front of the window, not the center.
If children are in your car, unfasten them immediately and push them out through an open window. It will be easier to pull them out and then follow them than to go back and save them after you get out yourself.
If several children are in the car, start by helping the oldest. They can help younger children get to safety.
Evacuation through an open or broken window
The best way to escape a sinking car is once the window is open and you’ve got the kids out. Your car may already be filling and sinking quickly, so be prepared to swim and climb out the window.
If you have to swim to get outside, don’t kick your feet until you get out of the car, you could injure other passengers. Use your hands to lift you to the surface.
Try to open the door if the car has already sunk.
You can still get out through the door if you can’t open the window before the car sinks. Take a slow, deep breath while there is still air in the car, then open the nearest door. Once the vehicle is filled with water, the pressure inside and outside the car will equalize, allowing the door to open. Hold your breath and push hard on the door while pulling on the handle to open it.
It takes 60 to 120 seconds to fill the car with water. Unfortunately, your chances of successfully escaping this situation are slim unless you have an oxygen supply.
Continue breathing normally until the water is at chest level, then take a deep breath and pinch your nose. Keep calm. Keep your mouth closed to keep your breath and prevent water from entering.
Put your hand on the doorknob if you are leaving through an open door. If you can’t see it, reach out from your hip and feel around the door until you find the handle.
Swim as quickly as possible to the surface
Push off the car and swim through the surface. If you don’t know which path to swim, look for a light and swim towards it, or follow the bubbles you see as they rise. Be aware of your surroundings as you surface. You may have to deal with currents or obstacles such as rocks and concrete bridge piers. If it’s ice-covered water, head for the clear hole caused by a car impact.
Do your best to avoid getting hurt by obstacles and use objects to grab onto if you are injured or exhausted from fatigue.
Call emergency services as soon as you get out.
After you have successfully exited your vehicle and made it to the surface, call your local emergency number to report the accident. If you leave your phone, call a passing motorist who can call for help and provide you with warmth, comfort, and, if necessary, a ride to the nearest hospital.
The release of adrenaline into your bloodstream after an evacuation may cause you to be unable to detect any injuries you may have suffered in an accident, so get a medical examination as soon as possible.
Hypothermia can be a real possibility, depending on the temperature of the water, the level of shock experienced by passengers and drivers, and the outside temperature.
Create an evacuation plan
You will be more likely to successfully escape a sinking car if you already know what to do beforehand. Talk to your family or anyone who rides with you regularly about the proper steps to take in the circumstance of an accident and ending up in a body of water.
Follow the instructions carefully:
- unfasten seat belts,
- help the children
- open or break a window,
- go out.
However, safety experts sometimes advise against unfastening children until the window is open or smashed.
Keep a glass breaker in your car.
Breaking a window in an emergency will be much easier if you keep a specialized tool in a prominent and easily accessible place.
You can hang the tool on your rearview mirror or attach it to your keychain for quick access.
Practice quickly unfastening your child’s seat belts.
When trying to get children out of the car in an emergency, it can be challenging to unbuckle their seat belts quickly enough, especially if they are in car seats. Practice unbuckling your seat belts. Once you feel comfortable doing this, try unfastening them with your eyes closed, that’s The best way to escape a sinking car.
You can also keep a seatbelt cutter handy if it becomes too difficult to unfasten the belts.
Read also Survival Kit. Top 10 Essentials.
