Car Headrests Were Designed as Emergency Escape Tools?

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kingdragonfly

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#228560 11-Jan-2018 20:42

Car Headrests Were Designed as Emergency Escape Tools?

In case you don't know, it's nigh impossible to open a door if your car is even a little submerged.

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows.

It doesn't matter if your right-side-up or up-side-down, until the car fills inside with water, the water level is the same on the inside of the door as the outside, the pressure differential will keep the doors closed.

You cannot smash the windows with your feet, with the possible exception of a high-heel shoe.

That's why it's a life-saving tip to keep a window smasher/seatbelt cutter in the glove box.

https://www.snopes.com/car-headrests-emergency-escape/

From Snoopes:

Claim: Car headrests were deliberately designed to be removed so that they can be used to smash windows during emergencies.

What's true: A removable car headrest can be used to break a window in an emergency.

What's false: Removable car headrests were deliberately designed to facilitate breaking windows in emergency situations.

Technofreak

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#1937369 11-Jan-2018 20:48

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows

Why?

Electrics may likely work for a short time. Can't see why a manual winder wouldn't work.

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Linux

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#1937370 11-Jan-2018 20:50

Technofreak:

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows

Why?

Electrics may likely work for a short time. Can't see why a manual winder wouldn't work.

I agree wind down windows would work if door is not damaged and electric if they have power

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throbb

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#1937376 11-Jan-2018 21:05

Technofreak:

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows

Why?

Electrics may likely work for a short time. Can't see why a manual winder wouldn't work.

To much pressure on the window, the motor wont have the power to wind the window down, for manual if your strong enough to turn the handle, it will break off before the window winds down.

Linux

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#1937377 11-Jan-2018 21:07

throbb:

Technofreak:

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows

Why?

Electrics may likely work for a short time. Can't see why a manual winder wouldn't work.

To much pressure on the window, the motor wont have the power to wind the window down, for manual if your strong enough to turn the handle, it will break off before the window winds down.

Electric car windows break fingers the motors are quite grunty and handles breaking off I don't believe either

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throbb

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#1937382 11-Jan-2018 21:15

Linux:

throbb:

Technofreak:

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows

Why?

Electrics may likely work for a short time. Can't see why a manual winder wouldn't work.

To much pressure on the window, the motor wont have the power to wind the window down, for manual if your strong enough to turn the handle, it will break off before the window winds down.

Electric car windows break fingers the motors are quite grunty and handles breaking off I don't believe either

Linux

If you can wind it down before the car is submerged it will work, but once the you're submerged there is way to much pressure on the glass to wind the window down.

kingdragonfly

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#1937385 11-Jan-2018 21:22

At the very least, most window breakers include a safe seat belt cutter, which could save lives, both inside your car and for other accidents you come upon.

Dratsab

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#1937414 11-Jan-2018 22:03

kingdragonfly: At the very least, most window breakers include a safe seat belt cutter, which could save lives, both inside your car and for other accidents you come upon.

At the very least it's a very handy safety message. A tool like that is something you hopefully never need to help yourself but you never know what you're going to happen upon out in the wild.

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Geektastic

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#1937422 11-Jan-2018 22:32

I once read a kidnap/terrorist survival manual (on a course about that) which advised that if you had time, you should open car windows before the car goes into the water, or at least before it sinks. The downside being that the water will come straight in, the upside being that you'll be able to exit more easily.

There is also this tool which attaches to your car keys and will cut belts and break glass: you tug it off the ring in an emergency.

Geektastic

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#1937425 11-Jan-2018 22:35

throbb:

Linux:

throbb:

Technofreak:

With power windows, or even manual windows, you might find it impossible to roll-down the windows

Why?

Electrics may likely work for a short time. Can't see why a manual winder wouldn't work.

To much pressure on the window, the motor wont have the power to wind the window down, for manual if your strong enough to turn the handle, it will break off before the window winds down.

Electric car windows break fingers the motors are quite grunty and handles breaking off I don't believe either

Linux

If you can wind it down before the car is submerged it will work, but once the you're submerged there is way to much pressure on the glass to wind the window down.

That would depend to some extent on the depth of the water. Certainly opening the door against the pressure would be almost impossible unless the car was equally full of water. Moving the window downwards seems less likely to be affected by the pressure although at any significant depth the water would come in hard as soon as you began winding it down.

Ge0rge

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#1937542 12-Jan-2018 09:28

Geektastic:
Moving the window downwards seems less likely to be affected by the pressure although at any significant depth the water would come in hard as soon as you began winding it down.

At a depth of less than a metre, there is already over 150kg of pressure being applied to the window. That force is jamming the glass against the frame, and there is no way that you can manually, or with power, lower the window.

See here