Emergency Car Window Escape: Understanding Tempered Glass & Safe Techniques

It happens all the time in the movies. The hero elbows a car window, the glass shatters instantly. In real life, however, things are not so simple. Car windows are made from tempered glass, designed to withstand a significant force--which is a good thing for day to day knocks endured while driving on the roads. Should you find yourself trapped in a car, however, or needing to rescue somebody that is, this reinforcement can make life more difficult.

Things You'll Need

• Emergency hammer

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Instructions

• 1

  Buy an emergency hammer. These hammers are sold in hardware stores and have a steel or diamond tip to break car windows. Keep the emergency hammer in your glove compartment at all times--it could save your life.

• 2

  Look for a sharp, heavy object, if you happen upon someone trapped in a car.

• 3

  Hit the car window in either the top-left or top-right hand corner. These are the weakest points and your best chance of shattering the glass with one blow. Only use your body to break a window as a last resort and make sure you wrap clothing around the part of your body coming into contact with the glass.