It's a reality that driving in the Tampa Bay area comes with the risk of a crash where your car could become submerged in water. And, you might have only seconds to get yourself out.
You might remember this story from just six months ago where Amanda Antonio's car flipped over into a muddy pond off of I-4. She swerved to avoid hitting a car that cut her off. Amanda's first instinct was to call for help, and she used her apple watch to find her phone.
But, if you have the right tool, your best bet is to get yourself out if you're submerged. You might not be able to open the door as pressure builds outside of your car.
A key piece of information that can save your life is whether your car has tempered or laminated side windows. An increasing number of cars are made with the laminated kind -- which is almost impossible to break. More than 30 percent of 2018 models had laminated side windows.
Back in 2017, 10Investigates exposed how hammer tools were ineffective in breaking laminated safety glass in car windows -- as opposed to the temperate glass windows that are much easier to shatter.
You can check the bottom corner of the side window to see what it's made of.
AAA tested six different tools in submerged cars to see what works the best works the best to break out the windows. Their researchers found three, two that were spring loaded and one hammer, performed well at both breaking the glass and at cutting seat belts.
AAA's testing also showed that consumer-grade escape tools are not capable of penetrating that laminated glass.
If you have tempered glass, AAA says keep that escape tool with you. But if you have laminated glass throughout your car, you're going to need to create another backup plan like calling for help or trying to open the door or a sunroof.
From Acura to Volvo, there are models of virtually every make of car on the market that use laminated windows in their doors. Click here to see a list compiled by AAA.
Click here to read more about what tools could be most useful in helping you escape from a sinking vehicle.
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