Monday, January 10, 2011

Survival Situations: Flood or Water in Your Vehicle

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6 comments:

badvoodoodaddy said...

I agree with the pilot, make sure you are out of the car before inflating the life preserver. This winter is a good example of what to look out for. when southern Utah flooded on the Virgin River could have been deadly if people were to get trapped in the car or if one of the bridges had collapsed. Great post.

Jane of all trades said...

One thing you should keep in the drivers door pocket is an auto escape tool. They can brake a window and cut a seat belt some even have other tools. If your car was underwater but the inside of the car wasn't you wouldn't be able to open the car door because of unequal pressure, braking the window means you don't have to wait for the inside of the car to fill up before you can get out. every second counts.

Heidi said...

Thanks for posting this, Angela! I love hearing what people have to say.

Jane of all trades:
Yes! I love the auto tool. I have one in each car and planned to do exactly as you mentioned, if the automatic windows didn't work first.

Prepared teacher said...

Just as Jane of all trades said get a escape auto tool, however please please anchor it down to an area that is within arms length, and train your children how to use it if you are unable to use it, I'm not saying break the window during practice :). If you keep it in a glove box, or center divider during an accident the tool may get loose in the vehicle or you may not be able to reach over to get it. I keep two in our truck, one located in the door side of the driver and passenger. If you have a big suburban I would suggest having one also in the very far back so people can escape if their seat belt decided to not cooperate and let the out!

Heidi said...

Prepared teacher--

I've thought the same thing about having the tool anchored within arm's reach. Do you have a good method of anchoring it? I haven't found a great way besides putting it in a netting attached to the side of my seat.

The Provident Planner said...

you can practice using your tool on windows by going to a junkyard and using it on some cars there. Also, my husband had an interesting idea - he says that you can get a small cylinder of air that fits in your glove compartment(like a mini scuba tank) - in a situation where you are alone with a number of children, this might give you a bit more time. He suggested taking your children in a pool and having contests to see who can hold their breath underwater (to get comfortable under water) and take turns passing the tank to each other for air. I don't know if that's considered a little extreme, but it's just an idea... :)