1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: Lauren Volga Bomb Here. Have you ever considered what would 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:12,799 Speaker 1: happen if you were trapped in your car? What if 4 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: you ran off the road into a body of water 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: and started to sink? Would you know what to do? 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: Would you be able to break a window to escape? 7 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: Those questions are the heart of a study released in 8 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen by the American Automobile Association or Triple A. 9 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: The report actually looks at the different types of glass 10 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: in a car and how that glass can affect your 11 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: chances of escape. If you had to break a window 12 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: to get out, you might not know it, but the 13 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: glass for your car's windshield might be different from the 14 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: glass and the windows. Some might be tempered glass and 15 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: some might be laminated glass. Eliminated glasses designed not to 16 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: break even in a crash to decrease the odds that 17 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: someone in the car will be ejected. And that matters 18 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: because if you need to get out in an emergency, 19 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: you might not be able to even using car escape 20 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: tools designed to help you. The Triple A study showed 21 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: that most car escape tools were effective at breaking tempered glass, 22 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,119 Speaker 1: but not laminated glass. In fact, none of the tools 23 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: tested in the study were able to completely break through 24 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: laminated glass. A few were effective at spider webbing the 25 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: glass only. An increasing number of new vehicles have switched 26 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: from using tempered side glass windows to laminated side glass windows, 27 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: as many as one in three vehicles. That's in response 28 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: to federal safety standards. However, most cars that have primarily 29 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: laminated glass also have at least one window made of 30 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: tempered glass. According to Triple A, each of a car's 31 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: windows should have a sticker in the bottom corner that 32 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: indicates the glass type. If you can't find it, you 33 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: can contact your vehicles manufacturer and ask. Furthermore, just because 34 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: the study shows that car escape tools aren't always effective 35 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: doesn't mean you shouldn't have one in your car. On 36 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: the contrary, we spoke by email with Greg Brannan, triple As, 37 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: director of Automotive Engineering and Industry Relation. He said Triple 38 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: A recommends a spring loaded style tool, as we found 39 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: that some of the hammer tools we tested broke when 40 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: impact in the glass. Keep in mind that any tool 41 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: you select will only be effective for breaking tempered glass. 42 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: These tools are also especially useful in case your seatbelt 43 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: release doesn't work. Some car escape tools incorporate blades that 44 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: let you quickly and safely slice your seatbelt rather than 45 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: fumbling with a buckle that might not open. Spring loaded 46 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: style tools contain an inner mechanism that consists of a 47 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: sharp spike that can be deployed with enough force to 48 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: break a tempered glass window thanks to a coiled spring. 49 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: After you buy such a tool, you should test it 50 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: on the surface of a notepad or piece of soft wood. 51 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: You'll hear a click, and when you remove the device 52 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: from the surface, you'll see an indented hole, meaning that 53 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: the device works. Online demonstrations can also help you familiarize 54 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: yourself with how to use the tool just in case. 55 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: Now for the scary part. If you get into an 56 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: accident where you must escape your car, especially if it's 57 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: in in water, what do you do. Make sure you 58 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: know what type of glass your car's driver side window has. 59 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: If it's laminated, know that you will need to escape 60 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: through a different window if it won't roll down. If 61 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: your car has all laminated glass, it's critical to get 62 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: a window rolled down as quickly as possible. The experts 63 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: we talked to all recommended the sure method as an 64 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: easy way to remember what to do in the event 65 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: of such an emergency. That's sure s stay calm, you 66 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 1: unbuckle your seatbelt or cut if it's jammed, are roll 67 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: down or break the windows and e exit the vehicle 68 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: quickly and help children out first. Don't call nine one 69 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: one until after you've escaped. You can have a matter 70 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: of seconds until water rises to the bottom of the 71 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: passenger windows, so time is of the essence. It's scary 72 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: to think that you might need to prepare for an 73 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: incident that traps you in your car, but experts agree 74 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: that it's better to acknowledge the possibility. If you have 75 00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: a tool with an easy reach, and you have some 76 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: idea of what to do, you'll save crucial seconds that 77 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: could make the difference between escaping from your car or not. 78 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Saris three Wit and produced 79 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: by Tyler Clain. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart 80 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this and lots 81 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: of other emergency preparedness topics, visit our home planet, how 82 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com and for more podcasts. For my 83 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 84 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.