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OK, I admit it: I was bad. I needed to make a left turn at an upcoming intersection, there was a long line of cars stopped ahead of me, but the left turn lane was empty — and the left turn arrow was green. I went for it — crossing the double yellow lines while I was at it — and was immediately pulled over. (Every once in a while, traffic cops in LA decide to step into the free-for-all and enforce the basic rules of the road. Needless to say, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.) Anyway, the bad news was, I got a ticket. (And not a cheap one, either.) Good news: traffic school is now ridiculously easy to complete online — it takes about an hour — and while speeding through my online course at 20mph over the limit, I learned, almost accidentally, one interesting thing:
How to escape from a sinking car, by the California DMV
Sinking cars are an unusual phenomenon, however, being inside when a car sinks must be one of the most frightening experiences imaginable. You may run off the road into a river or, with changing weather patterns, be swept off the road in a flash flood. By following these steps you can get yourself quickly to safety.
1. Don´t Panic
The key to getting out of a submerged car is to stay calm. Panicking will only make it harder to perform these escape techniques. As long as the keys are in the ignition of a car, the electric windows and lights should work. Even when a car sinks to the bottom of a body of water, the electrical system will still work for a while. Switch on all the car´s lights to help rescuers see where you are.
2. Unfasten your Seat Belt
If you are in the car with children, first free yourself from your seat belt, then open a window, then free the kids´ seat belts and push them out the window first.
3. Roll Down Your Window to Escape
Opening windows may make it easier to open a door. Open the window and get out of the car as soon as you can–if possible, before it starts to sink. If for some reason you cannot get the window down, wait till the car fills completely before you can open the door. If you try to open the doors too soon the water rushing in will impede your escape and could trap you. When the car is filled, the water pressure will be equal on both sides. This will allow the door to open. Before exiting, try to find a pocket of air at the top of the car and take a breath. OR use a small hammer, a Philips screwdriver or center punch, available at most hardware stores to shatter the glass. Strike the window at the bottom or a corner edge. Always try to break a side window. The windshield and back window will not break.
4. Get Out and Swim to Safety
Never sit in the car and just wait. It takes a car 2-3 minutes to sink, depending on the car. If you follow these steps, you should be able to escape the car before it starts to sink.
I’ll admit I don’t get it. What’s wrong with turning left from the left turn lane with a green left arrow?
posted by Jachim on 3-27-2007 at 1:11 pm
I’m confused too. Your description seems completely legal.
posted by Jeremiah on 3-27-2007 at 2:12 pm
There is a british show called top gear which just did a segment on this with an actual test. They have slightly different recommendations. You can see the videos here by going to youtube and searching for
“top gear underwater”
posted by Stew on 3-27-2007 at 2:15 pm
I believe what was meant was that the line of cars was backed up beyond the beginning of the turning lane, thus necessitating the crossing of the center double yellow line (signifying a no-passing zone in the US), into the oncoming lane, in order to reach the empty turning lane.
posted by Mel on 3-27-2007 at 2:53 pm
Didn’t they cover this on an episode of “Mythbusters”?
posted by Cait on 3-27-2007 at 3:07 pm
They did this on a recent (awesome) episode of mythbusters. The safest possible way they found was for you to relax and wait till the whole car fills with water so pressure is equalized. you cannot open the door until the car fills with water because you don’t have enough strength to overcome the water pressure. Rolling down the window is the same way because the motor doesn’t have enough power to move the window with so much pressure on it. The window hammer available from hardware store worked beautifully though. I would recommend that the California DMV watch Mythbusters because their advice could really hurt you here.
posted by Brandon on 3-27-2007 at 3:12 pm
Jachim and Jeremiah–he had to cross two sets of double yellow lines (a big no no in LA) to get into the turn lane.
posted by Hilary on 3-27-2007 at 3:44 pm
Jachim and Jeremiah–he had to cross two sets of double yellow lines (a big no no) to get into the turn lane.
posted by Hilary on 3-27-2007 at 3:45 pm
Yes this came on about 2 weeks ago on Mythbusters, they tested several different escape tatics and found that staying calm was best
it was a good show, im sure it will be on a rerun
posted by Lindsey on 3-27-2007 at 4:01 pm
There is one big drawback with the newer power-everything cars: Your electric door locks and electric windows might not work once the car is partially submerged.
In 2004, I spoke to an attorney that was prosecuting a case where a lady had driven off the freeway and into a drainage system. She wasn’t strong enough to kick out a window and couldn’t unlock the car or roll down the windows because the electrics shorted out. The lady’s family was suing the auto manufacturer for wrongful death, for not providing a mechanical means of escape. I wish I knew how that case turned out.
I would add as a tip - unlock the car door and start rolling down those windows as soon as possible. You don’t know how long the power- features will last.
posted by Bryan on 3-27-2007 at 4:27 pm
Yes, they did cover this on Mythbusters, and actually, letting your car fill up with water before opening your door doesn’t help - the pressure never equalizes. And they did show that power locks worked after under water for about 45 minutes after the fact. There’s also a little device that you can get that breaks your window for you with very little effort - it cracks the window or something.
posted by Lindsay D. on 3-27-2007 at 6:06 pm
Thieves and rescue units have known about the spring-loaded centerpunch for many years. It’s amazingly effective. Just push and when it trips, the glass shatters.
Now, will I be able to find it when I need it, or will I have borrowed it from the console when I installed the trailer hitch…
posted by Tom on 3-28-2007 at 7:26 am