Would you survive a sinking car? Most people don’t know
🚗 Only 3% of people surveyed correctly answered four questions about escaping a sinking car.
⏱️ More than 65% thought they had more than a minute to escape. In reality, you may have a minute or less.
👶 The key steps are remembered as SWOC: seat belts off, windows open, out immediately and children first.
Do you know how to escape a sinking car? Most people don’t.
According to a study from Kids and Car Safety conducted as part of the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, most Americans are dangerously unprepared to escape a vehicle sinking in water.
Only 3% of people surveyed were confident they knew how to escape a sinking car and answered the four questions presented to them correctly, said Jenna Needham, a research assistant at The College of New Jersey’s Justice and Blameworthiness Lab, and intern at Kids and Car Safety.
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An alarming 43% “were confident but wrong,” she said.
The findings in the survey revealed widespread misinformation, false confidence, and a lack of basic understanding about how little time there is to act.
The study also found that no demographic group is reliably prepared to escape a sinking vehicle.
Men, women, parents, non-parents, people who went to college, and people who didn’t go to college, all demonstrated substantial knowledge gaps, and no demographic group showed a level of preparedness that showed a widespread understanding of the correct escape procedures.
“It is pretty jarring and incredibly dangerous that there are so many people who say they do know what to do, but in reality, they don’t know what to do at all,” Needham said.
Hundreds of people died every year in submerged vehicles because floodwaters swept their cars away, or they accidentally drove into a body of water, Needham said.
How to escape a sinking car
The first key question that respondents were asked in the survey was regarding which way was the best way out of the vehicle, through the window or through the door.
Most people thought it was safest to immediately open a vehicle’s car door to get out, but that is not correct. Needham said people should immediately open a vehicle’s window to escape a sinking car.
Opening a car door first will send water rushing in very fast, making escaping difficult, if not impossible.
When asked how much time you have to escape a flooded vehicle; less than a minute, a minute, 2 to 5 minutes, 6 to 9 minutes, more than 10 minutes, more than 65% of those surveyed thought they had more than a minute to escape a flooded car.
In reality, you only have about a minute or less to escape a sinking vehicle, Needham confirmed.
Why waiting could be deadly
When asked the order of people out of the sinking vehicle, kids or adults first, Needham said the survey found that most respondents thought adults should exit the vehicle first, then help the children.
But, again, that is wrong. Needham said it’s vital to get children out first, then adults follow.
Surprisingly, many respondents believed they should wait for the car to fill up with water first before escaping.
There is a myth that if people wait for the car to fill up with water, an air pocket will form, and that will give people more time to escape. But that is not true. This is a fatal misunderstanding that wastes precious seconds.
“The reason that you shouldn’t wait is that the water pressure gets so immense in the car that it is virtually impossible to open the door or open the window, as well, Needham said.
Remember these four steps: SWOC
Kids and Car Safety urge all drivers to memorize the proven steps for escaping a sinking car, known as “SWOC.”
S – Seat belts off immediately.
W – Windows open. While any window will do, the rear side window is preferable because as the car starts sinking in the water, the front end will sink first because of the engine.
O – Out immediately. Everyone in the car should be exiting through that window as soon as possible
C – Children first (oldest to youngest). Kids should get out of the car first, followed by adults.
Once everyone in the sinking vehicle is out, try to get on the roof of the car, and call 911.
Never touch your phone while you’re escaping the vehicle as this wastes time.
Remember, you only have a minute or less to get out, Needham said.
Knowing these key steps before an emergency occurs can make the difference between life and death.
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