NORTH PORT, Fla. — What would you do if you had just seconds to escape a sinking car?
In a water crash, consumer-grade glass-breaking tools, like those seen here or here, could be your only hope to swim to safety. These small impact devices are either spring-loaded or a hammer. But, will they always break your window?
Retired auto engineer Robert Beaumont contacted VERIFY to find out. He said he has kept these devices in his vehicles for years just in case, but he knows not all windows are created equal.
“I don’t want to have to rely on these tools when I’m in a situation… and find out at that point they’re not going to work,” Beaumont told VERIFY.
THE QUESTION
Do glass-breaking escape tools work on all types of vehicle windows?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, glass-breaking vehicle escape tools do not work on laminated windows.
More manufacturers are using laminated glass on side windows to meet federal safety standards.
WHAT WE FOUND
There are two main types of glass in your vehicle’s windows: tempered and laminated.
Tempered glass is designed to shatter into small, rounded pieces to reduce the risk of injury, according to Glass Doctor. It’s what has typically been used in rear and side vehicle windows.
Laminated glass is what your windshield has been made of for decades. It’s layered glass and plastic designed to bend under pressure but not easily shatter even when broken.
Increasingly, car manufacturers are installing thicker laminated glass in side windows to meet federal safety standards that are meant to reduce instances of occupants being ejected during a crash.
Laminated side windows are one option for automakers to meet the standards, according to NHSTA. Side curtain airbags are the second option. A spokesperson told VERIFY compliance tests have shown most manufacturers rely on side curtain airbags.
Even so, AAA estimates as many as one in three new vehicle models on the road now have laminated side windows, which tests show are “nearly unbreakable.” AAA compiled a list of vehicles with side laminated glass in 2019.
However, neither AAA nor NHTSA have data on the number of new models with laminated glass side windows currently on the market in the U.S.
AAA tested six different tools in submerged cars to see what works best to break out of the windows. Their researchers found three (two spring-loaded and one hammer) performed well at breaking tempered glass.
The same testing found those same consumer-grade escape tools were not capable of penetrating laminated glass.
10 Tampa Bay first exposed how ineffective these devices are at breaking laminated safety glass in car windows in 2017. Our device did not break a car window we picked up from Adams Used Auto Parts because the window was made of laminated glass.
East Lake Fire Rescue showed 10 Investigates how laminated windows were forcing them to get new tools and training, especially for water rescues.
Manufacturers of escape tools like Lifehammer and Resqme now acknowledge they are intended only for tempered glass.
Resqme’s website says its tools "only work on tempered glass." Lifehammer says its product “breaks non-laminated car glass.”
AAA says it’s important to know which type of windows you have in your vehicle – and it’s simple to find out.
The corner of each vehicle window should include a label stating whether the glass is tempered or laminated. Sometimes automakers will use trademarked terms like “lamisafe” to indicate laminated glass. In other instances, a window might only list symbols, which can differ by make. If this information is not included or there is no label at all, AAA advises contacting the vehicle manufacturer directly.
If you have tempered glass, AAA says to 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.
Beaumont now realizes his vehicle has laminated front-side windows and tempered rear-side windows, forcing him to rethink his planned escape route in an emergency.
"You really need to know your individual glass for your individual car," he said.
10 Tampa Bay’s Jennifer Titus and Libby Hendren contributed to this report.
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