John: Now, this was suggested by one of the producers, and I said, yeah, you know, the problem was—here’s the tip, and everyone should have one or two of these. I did have some thoughts about it.
It’s the window-breaking tool that you should have in your car. It’s got a diamond tip. It’s usually called an emergency seat belt cutter and window hammer.
It’s got a blade on it, because what happens is, you get into a wreck—especially in one of these electric cars—and the power goes out. You can’t get out of the seatbelt. You cut the seatbelt, then you take the little hammer and you tap.
Doesn’t take much, because it’s got a diamond tip—or it’s carbide, whatever tip it has—you snap it against the window, it shatters, you can get out of there. As opposed to not being able to roll the window down if it’s electric.
So the producer said, “Well, what’s the best one of these?”
Adam: That’s the question. This is why it’s a Tip of the Day. We want the absolute best.
John: Well, how do you determine that? You can’t determine the absolute best without busting your car window. So you’d have to go to a junkyard and say, “Can I test a bunch of these things on your cars?” See which one breaks the window best.
I would simply suggest going to Amazon and getting the $9.95 two-pack. It’s got 27,000 reviews that average to four and a half stars. I think that’s probably going to work.
Now, the little ones that have a motor in them—the ones that pop the thing with a spring-loaded mechanism—no. You want a hammer. So you can bash it.
Now here’s the real issue, the more important part of the tip that’s not usually discussed.
So, you’re in the car. You’ve got the thing. Usually, you keep it in the little side pocket of the driver’s seat. You reach in there, you can grab it, cut the seatbelt, bang the window.
What happens if you’re in a rollover? The thing comes out of the side pocket, bounces around the car, you’re stuck with the seatbelt on, and it’s out of reach.
What do you do?
Adam: Well, you should have it on a string around your neck. Whenever you drive.
John: You have to secure it somehow! Either glue it, tie it down, or put it on a string attached to something. Just so it doesn’t get too far away. Even in a simple collision, it could get jarred loose and move into the back seat.
Adam: Like a leg holster! Like a calf holster. Always have it in there when you’re driving, just in case.
John: People don’t think about this.
Adam: A lanyard—how about a lanyard?
John: Sure. Anything, really. Just think about what happens.
Aadm: How about don’t drive an electric vehicle? You might have better odds.
John: Even in a regular car—what if you drive into a lake? There are a million scenarios.
You don’t want to use these things, but you should have them. Because you don’t want to get stuck in the car. And you have to consider the fact that it’ll get jostled and moved around if the car flips, rolls over, or anything like that. So, just think about that. But everyone should have one of these things.
Adam: That’s right, everybody. Everyone needs one.