If a car encounters trouble and falls into the water, how can you escape? The following skills may help you survive. Below are the basic skills that can help you escape from a submerged vehicle.
1. Prepare Your Sitting Position When Entering Water
When you notice that the car is falling or plunging into the water, the driver should grip the steering wheel with both hands at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions. The impact of the vehicle with the water will cause the airbags to deploy. Therefore, holding the steering wheel in other positions may lead to severe head injuries from impacts.
It’s crucial for the driver to remember that airbags deploy very quickly, in just 0.04 seconds after activation. Passengers in the vehicle should remain calm and follow the subsequent skills to help save themselves.
2. Unbuckle Your Seatbelt
The next step for both the driver and passengers is to unbuckle their seatbelts. This action is extremely necessary and significantly impacts whether everyone in the vehicle can escape when the car falls into the water.
This is considered a necessary action for people inside the vehicle to escape. (Illustrative image).
3. Open Windows as Soon as Possible
Even after falling into the water, a car can remain operational for about 2 to 3 minutes before fully submerging. Therefore, everyone in the vehicle should take advantage of this brief window to open the windows or sunroof (if available) to escape quickly.
Currently, most car models are equipped with power windows, making it easier to open them. Notably, from the driver’s position, it is possible to open all four windows simultaneously, allowing everyone in the vehicle to escape quickly.
4. Break the Windows
If the car doors are jammed and cannot be opened, the only option left for passengers is to break the windows to get out. However, the front windshield is very difficult to shatter due to its high durability. Therefore, passengers should focus on breaking the side or rear windows.
Tools to break the windows can include a wrench, screwdriver, or small hammer found in the glove compartment. If these items are unavailable, high-heeled shoes or even kicking the window with your feet can be used to break free.
5. Escape the Vehicle
Once the window is broken, everyone in the vehicle should take a deep breath and swim through the opening. Water will rush in quickly, and without exerting all your effort to swim out, you risk drowning inside the car.
Additionally, it’s important for those in distress to remember to discard shoes and remove heavy clothing to facilitate swimming out easily.
If there are young children in the vehicle, adults should prioritize getting the child to the surface as soon as possible. Once out of the car, be cautious not to kick too hard and injure others around you. Instead, use your hands to swim to the surface and try to stay afloat for as long as possible until rescue arrives.
