Tips

How to Escape from a Car That's Sinking in Water

TB (according to Vietnamnet) • September 10, 2024 06:45

If a car falls into water, the response time for the people inside is only a matter of seconds. Therefore, take advantage of and save time for each operation to escape the car.

The moment a bridge in Phu Tho collapsed while many vehicles were moving

The collapse of the Phong Chau steel bridge in Phu Tho on the morning of September 9 shocked many people because of its severity and the suddenness of the situation. Video from the dash cam of a car traveling towards the bridge shows that at this time, there were still quite a few cars on the bridge.

According to the People's Committee of Phu Tho province, preliminary determination was that at the time of the incident, there were 10 vehicles moving on the bridge (including 1 truck, 2 tractor-trailers, 6 motorbikes, 1 electric motorbike); 8 people are missing; 3 injured people were rescued and taken to the emergency room at a medical facility.

Any car accident is terrifying, but being trapped inside a sinking vehicle is in the hands of the people inside. According to safety experts, the golden time to escape a car is measured in seconds.

Here are the steps to escape from a car that is sinking in water as posted on Wikihow:

aid55939 v4 728px Escape from a Sinking Car Step 1 Version 3.jpg.jpeg — When the car falls into the water, the airbag may be activated due to the collision. Keep your hands on the steering wheel in the correct position as shown in the picture to avoid collision and injury. For passengers, bending the head or raising the hands can increase the possibility of injury in the accident.

aid55939 v4 728px Escape from a Sinking Car Step 2 Version 3.jpg.jpeg — You only have about 30-60 seconds to act before your car sinks completely into the water.

When the car has just fallen into the water, experts advise passengers not to panic and not to call for help because calling will waste precious seconds and reduce your chances of escape. What you need to do is unbuckle your seat belt and press the button to lower the electric windows if they are still working.

aid55939 v4 728px Escape from a Sinking Car Step 6 Version 3.jpg.jpeg — If there are children in the car, after unbuckling your own seat belt, you should unbuckle the children's seat belt first and get them out first.

aid55939 v4 728px Escape from a Sinking Car Step 5 Version 3.jpg.jpeg — If the car window cannot be lowered, you can use a sharp object such as a key, a glass breaker, or pull out the neckrest on the driver's seat and hit the metal part hard against the window, creating a large hole and escaping outside.

According to experts, the golden time to open the car door to escape is when the water level outside is still lower than the window. If the water has exceeded this level, you should not try to open the car door in the usual way (pull the lock and push the door open) because at this time the water pressure will make the door heavy and difficult to open.

In addition, if the door is opened, more water will flood into the cabin, causing the car to sink quickly. If you choose to break the glass, only break the side window, absolutely do not break the front or rear windshield because this layer of glass is thicker and more difficult to break.

If there are children in the car, it is best to push them out through the open window first as it is easier to get them out and then follow behind them rather than having to go back to rescue them.

aid55939 v4 728px Escape from a Sinking Car Step 7 Version 3.jpg.jpeg — Once you have broken the glass, take a deep breath and exit. You can swim towards the light or follow the shadow if the water is murky and you cannot distinguish light.

To be prepared for an emergency situation where the car falls into water, car drivers should have emergency tools such as a glass breaker and seat belt cutter in the car and teach children and the elderly how to unbuckle their seat belts.

TB (according to Vietnamnet)