Every summer there are children and pets that suffer an awful and preventable tragedy. They die in hot cars. According to KidsandCars.org, approximately 38 children die each year from heat-related causes after being trapped in a hot car. There aren’t any statistics for how many dogs die every year, but it’s estimated several hundred pass away unnecessarily.
That’s where this life hack for how to break a car’s window is not only useful but it could save a life.
National Geographic host Brian Brushwood explains in the video below how a simple spark plug can shatter a car window more easily than a hammer.
Car windows are made from tempered glass and are designed to resist blunt force. As such, pounding on a window with a blunt object may have no effect.
But there is a “trick” to breaking passenger or driver windows – target around the edges, not the center, as this is where the glass breaks more easily. Also, do not try and break the front windshield or back windows of a car as these are manufactured to break differently than passenger windows and will be nearly impossible to break through.
A mom and a group of shoppers discovered just how difficult it could be to break a window when they were trying to free children from a car. The mother was desperately trying to rescue her children from a hot car after accidentally locking them inside. Good Samaritans tried to break the windows but could not get in. Eventually, someone found a sledgehammer and was able to free the kids.
The easiest thing is to have a car hammer/car window escape tool in your car’s emergency kit. The devices are inexpensive and not only shatter car windows but often have seat belt cutters included.
If you do not have a car hammer or any other tool that can be used to break the glass, you can try using a spark plug as Brushwood demonstrates in the video.
First, you can get one from your own car by popping your hood and pulling it out. Next, you will need to break the porcelain casing around the spark plug (remembering to protect your eyes from shards). Then take a sharp piece of the ceramic and throw it precisely at the window you want broken. The ceramic will shatter the glass!
In extreme emergencies, and with no other tool to break in, this is a tip that is incredibly useful to know. Share it with your friends!
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