A car window breaker shatters a tempered side window and cuts a jammed seat belt so you can get out of a vehicle after a crash, in rising floodwater or during a fire. Keep one within reach of the driver's seat for the moments when doors and power windows will not open.
Choose a car window breaker you can reach and use while still buckled in, in the dark, with cold or wet hands. Stock one for each vehicle your family drives.
- Belt cutter: Pick a tool with a recessed blade that slices a jammed seat belt and keeps your fingers clear of the edge.
- Hardened tip: Look for a tungsten carbide point, on a spring-loaded punch or a hammer head, that breaks tempered side glass in one strike.
- Mount within reach: Clip it to a keychain, sun visor or center console so the driver can grab it without leaning or searching.
- One-hand use: Practice the motion with either hand, since a spring punch needs only a firm press against the glass.
- Right window: Aim at the lower corner of a tempered side window, and check your window labels, since windshields and laminated glass bend instead of shattering.
