How to escape from a car that is sinking in water.
How to escape from a car submerged in water. During the rainy season and floods, prevention and equipping yourself with safety knowledge are extremely important.
Steps to escape from a car that is sinking underwater.
1. Unbuckle your seatbelt.
Studies have shown that when a car falls into water, there is only 30 to 120 seconds to escape before it begins to sink. This is a crucial time for life-saving action.
Professor Gordon Giesbrecht, an expert in underwater survival, advises that in the event your vehicle falls into water, you should:
- Quickly unbuckle your seatbelt.
- Open the windows or, if necessary, break the glass to create an escape route.
- Immediately exit the vehicle, prioritizing helping children get out first, then adults.
2. Glass doors are emergency exits.
If the car falls into water, the electrical system will only work for about 3 minutes. Immediately after unbuckling your seatbelt, lower the windows.
When the water level is too high, do not open the car door in the usual way by pulling the lock and pushing the door open, as the water pressure will make the door very heavy and difficult to open.
Avoid opening the car doors when water starts to get in to prevent the car from sinking faster.
If you need to break a window to escape, only break the side windows. Do not break the front or rear windshield as they are thicker and more difficult to break.
If you can't break the window, wait until the water reaches your chest, take deep breaths, and open the door when the car is completely filled.
3. Get out
In an emergency requiring evacuation from a vehicle with children, open the windows and get the children out first to ensure their safety.
If the window won't open, break the glass and prioritize getting the children out immediately.
Before exiting the vehicle, instruct the child to take deep breaths to get enough air.
If the child knows how to swim, get them to the highest point possible; if not, find a floating object they can hold onto.
After leaving the vehicle, try to swim to the surface immediately and head towards the light or follow the direction of bubbles to find a safe escape route.
