Escaping A Sinking Car

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Nearly as many people drown in their cars every year in Britain as they do in boating accidents.  On average something like 30 people a year drown in accidents in the UK, Some years the death toll actually exceeds that of people drowning after falling from boats.  In 1991 for example, there were 27 car drownings and just 19 boating deaths.  Most fatalities occurred in the Lake District, with ditches in the Norfolk and Suffolk areas second. If you live in one of these high risk areas you should consider buying a Life Hammer, a tool that combines a knife for cutting through seat belts and a double edged hammer for breaking windows that won’t open, very useful if your car has electric windows and water has fused the motors. Many car in water accidents happen in winter when road surfaces are less reliable, in areas where there are lots of roadside water hazards.  The peak periods are November, December, January, February, June & July.   Most accidents occur because the driver fails to adjust their driving to the prevailing weather conditions, with excessive speed for the circumstances being the major cause, with driver fatigue also a cause.  Occasionally cars drive off quay-sides or into rivers; other problems arise when the parking brake isn't applied properly and cars simply roll down embankments into lakes or rivers. It only takes six inches of water to float a small vehicle enough that the driver will lose total control.  Larger vehicles will float in as little as two feet of water. Wearing a seatbelt is far more likely to decrease the chances of serious injury than keep a victim trapped in a car.  It increases your chances of survival by lessening the impact of the crash.  If you do enter water without a seatbelt on your impact injuries are likely to be such that you are left unconscious and unable to attempt escape. The main advice is to keep calm, but how many of us would keep our heads when plunged into cold, deep and dark water in our cars?  A very frightening experience indeed, especially when you may have young children fastened securely into their car safety seats.  It is imperative that you know how to escape from your vehicle quickly as you only get a few seconds to escape a sinking car, so don’t let it become a watery grave. The thing to remember is that unless you are very lucky, there’s not going to be anybody around to help you once you are submerged. By the time the Fire Brigade arrives, chances are they’ll only be there to recover a body - it doesn’t take long to drown. ESCAPE QUICKLY As with any emergency you need to take quick controlled action to survive. • Most cars will stay on the surface for around 30 seconds to two minutes before sinking and that is when you have your best chance of escaping before it has taken too much water on board.   Try to conserve energy as you will need as much as possible to swim and possibly fight the cold. • OPEN a window as soon as possible as this will provide you with a way to escape and try to escape as soon as possible.     If the window will not open, try breaking it with a heavy object like a steering wheel lock or a Life Hammer - or simply kick hard. • Side windows are usually weaker than windscreens.  This method should also be used to escape from soft-topped cars, rather than making an escape hole in the canopy.  The stays and brackets are so close together they could easily impede an upward exit. • DO NOT open a door because this will allow water inside the vehicle and it will sink faster. • Switch on all the car lights if they still work to help rescuers see where you are. • Unbuckle your seatbelt first, ensuring your passengers follow suit.  Children may need help from yourself or anyone else to unbuckle and get out of a window, try not to get tangled up in an un-retracted seat belt. If your head restraints are removable, pull them out when you release your seatbelt to enable easy passage for rear passengers - you can also use the head restraints to smash the side windows if necessary. • The car will not drop like a stone, but will sink quite slowly, with the heavy engine end of the vehicle going down first and in deeper water it may flip onto it’s roof. • Free yourself and all passengers from restraints such as seat belts and child safety harnesses.  Use as little effort as possible to conserve air. • If possible assist children to escape through the window, then get your self out. • Keep the heads of all occupants above the water level as it rises inside the car. • Try not to panic - the inside of a family car will hold a large enough air bubble for you to breathe while you prepare to abandon the sinking vehicle. • Form a human chain with the other passengers and swim to the surface. • It may seem obvious - but don't try to save anything except lives. Computers, phones, purses, jewellery, etc. can be replaced - you can't! • Call the emergency services if you are able as soon as possible after exiting the vehicle.