Car Survival Guide?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

There are many here who own cars and drive cars and now with all the storms around the USA and the world we hear and read of horrible cases about people drowning in submerged cars and other tragedies.
In general let's share skills about survival involving all motorized vehicles.

To start: If trapped in a submerged vehicle, car truck or other, what is the best way to use those carbide tipped glass breakers to escape?

[akapennypincher]

If you have no plans before event, & bad things happen you doomed. Yesterday was a good example of this I drop my car off for some work at BMW, I got longer, had zero orientation on loaner, how it worked, simple stuff.

So I pull it out of service area park, take time to set seat, adjust mirrors, etc. Get to my first stop turn off the engine, spend almost 5 minute trying to figure out how find handle to open door, snd exit vehicle.

Had I had event where I was trapped in vehicle the No Orientation to the Vehicle would have been my death. Live in area with Monsoons, and Flash Floods.

Dealers LOANER RENTAL PERSON blew it big time by no orientation.

BTW the Vehicle is a 5 Series BMW. Get my Car I know back today.

Training & Retraining builds mussels memory, could save you life. Choice to train is personal one.

[Midnightrider]

Yeah this is something to think about very seriously. I remember a few times people drowned in flash floods in underground parking decks back home in Texas. Many many years ago I started to pay attention to the lay of the land and I'm always careful about not parking or getting stuck in low spots. Sometimes you just have to cancel appointments or just don't go there if bad weather is on the horizon. If you have a choice of parking lots in the city, pick one which is above ground and has multiple floors instead of one below ground. If you're in the country, you just have to know what rivers are around and look at the slope and set yourself up in a reasonable place.

I know one guy who was out west one time and got into a flash flood in California while he was hoofin' it, he was able to climb up the inside of a road overpass and stay there until he got extracted.

Same thing goes for fires, you have to know the roads and have a plan before you go into the forest about how to get out.

TL;DR the best way not to die is not to get stuck in the first place.

[aicolainen]

The main risk around here is cold, snow and icy conditions, and maybe my focus on mitigating that type of risk makes me somewhat blind to other potential risk factors. I hope not.
As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast I've been chasing adventures since long before my senses and risk evaluation was fully developed, and while growing up in this type of environment allows you to develop some "innate" ability to handle harsh conditions, I'm well aware that me still being around is possibly down to luck - or at least the absence of bad luck at some critical moments.
Knowing that the capital on my luck account may be running low, I leave very little to luck these days.

I have a small EV (RWD) that we use for 90% of our daily errands and a larger 4WD that we use when travelling out of town or when the snow is so deep the EV can't get anywhere.

As the EV has very little storage space, never goes far and assistance is always nearby, it has a pretty minimal setup with just some basic tools and first aid kit.

The 4WD has a pretty extensive setup with tools and repair aids, towing-, strapping- and survival-esque gear, first aid kit and wool blankets etc.
Winter clothes take up a lot of cargo space, so I don't keep a permanent setup in the car car, but have a grab bag that I can bring along if necessary. It usually isn't though, as usually when I leave the safety net of urbanistan, I'm all packed for outdoor adventures anyway.
And if you're already mentally, physically and technically prepared to walk out into the freezing mountains with only what you carry on your back, getting stuck roadside in a blizzard is not a scary thought at all.

As to your question about getting stuck in a submerged vehicle, it's a difficult one to answer.
Contrary to many other types of distress, this is a difficult one to train for.
I do however belive I can get myself out. After many years working off-shore all around the world I've been through countless heli evac training courses with all kinds of helicopter types, procedures and equipment. Getting out of a submerged car would be somewhat different, but unless I've been severely hurt by an impact, escaping submerged vehicles is so familiar to me I don't think I'd panic, and I should be able to get myself out.
The thing about heli evac training is you only focus on saving yourself. If my vehicle ended up submerged with my family inside, that would be a different story. And a total nightmare.
Again, this is something very few get the privilege or opportunity to train for. I haven't even tried using a glass breaker on a real car window - let alone under water. So if the unthinkable happens one can only hope that the theory we've been thought works in practice as well.

[Ankerson]

There are many here who own cars and drive cars and now with all the storms around the USA and the world we hear and read of horrible cases about people drowning in submerged cars and other tragedies.
In general let's share skills about survival involving all motorized vehicles.

To start: If trapped in a submerged vehicle, car truck or other, what is the best way to use those carbide tipped glass breakers to escape?

Wait until the water fills up and you can open the door easy.

[aicolainen]

There are many here who own cars and drive cars and now with all the storms around the USA and the world we hear and read of horrible cases about people drowning in submerged cars and other tragedies.
In general let's share skills about survival involving all motorized vehicles.

To start: If trapped in a submerged vehicle, car truck or other, what is the best way to use those carbide tipped glass breakers to escape?

Wait until the water fills up and you can open the door easy.

That's assuming nothing debilitating happened to the door / vehicle frame or himself on whatever eventful journey the car had to make it end up at the bottom of a body of water. And ofc that it landed nicely on a plane bottom with nothing blocking the door. Still "easy" isn't the first thing that springs to mind, but it would surely be convenient.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Are there plastic tarps you can keep in a car that can be used to cover the car in extreme temps to insulate the vehicle?

[Naperville]

It is now Winter and people better be prepared for getting stuck or breaking down in inclement weather.

I have two boxes with sides just over a foot long that I keep in the trunk of whichever car I am driving.

In the boxes I have:
- 4 very good warning triangles in case I am in a wreck or have a flat that I have to change on the side of the road.
- 2 of those large space blankets that can double as a poncho, and the inside of them is a layer of shiny aluminum to keep the heat in.
- 4 large wool blankets.

In the next vehicle that I get I will put a 4 to 5 inch fixed blade knife, and maybe a few other things like MREs. I might also put 2 thick comforters, one for the front and back of the vehicle.

[Blerv]

No offense to any maker who integrates a carbide tip into a knife, flashlight, umbrella…but I feel it often makes for a clunky tool. In less sophisticated applications where it doesn’t retract, it tends to scratch and bang on everything except what it’s intended to.

You can buy a spring loaded carbide window breaker for $10. If you are concerned, buy two and attach them within reach of the driver and passenger seat.

[Pacu0420]

I do a lot of camping and fishing and keep quite a bit of survival gear and tools in my car. One item is a hatchet that stays under the drivers seat. Obviously I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure it would break out a window if needed. Thats the idea anyway.

[Blerv]

I’ve thought of keeping a fixed blade or hatchet in the car and truck. A shame there isn’t a compact shovel made by Spyderco. A bit off brand maybe but they could integrate an edge.

Normally all my vehicles have a cigarette lighter powered air compressor, first aid kit, and a set of 15’ long jumper cables. When I’m going on longer trips I always pack a lithium battery jumper box.

[Jim Malone]

I had training in car into the water when i was in law enforcement school. Cars don't sink that fast. The electrical windows will work for a long time, even submerged (as will the lights).
Just relax, and open the windows and exit the vehicle. If for some unusual reason the windows won't open i still have a spring loaded window punch hanging from my visor i can reach with both hands.
If that won't work i have the rescue salt in my center console and a leatherman multitool
As noted by others, i also carry a blanket, water, a good shovel (cold steel has a great "special forces shovel" that also acts as an axe and defensive tool), a battery operated tire inflator, spare tire, spare fuses and lamps, a small can of engine oil, jumper cables, and a towing cable in my car. You can also carry some thee light candles as a way of keeping your car above freezing point should you snow in.
I also carry a well stocked first aid kit and i carry a pocket version of the SAS survival guide by john lofty wiseman in the booth of my car.
And a green LED beacon to put on my roof if we brake down. With a standard car battery it will take at least 24 hours before it breaks down.

[Scandi Grind]

Nice list there, Jim.

Lately I don't tend to travel far enough that I can't get out of a jam just by walking. It's a small town and weather is typically tolerable most of the year so snacks are the biggest thing I make sure I always have on hand. I can get unstable without food for too long, so that makes sure if I do have to walk I have sustanence.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

All of your answers are great and helpful. Thank you for your service, Jim! I need to put together a kit like you mention. I have some of the items listed.

What do you all think again about those emergency blood clotters that come in gel or powder form sold by survival gear companies? Are they safe and effective?

[Jim Malone]

Don't buy the powdered one. The powder can float in the air and will cloth the moisture in your eyes (the reason why the US military no longer uses granulated blood clothing.
I think 2 or 3 Israeli bandages and a good military tourniquet (TQ) are al you need.
Learn how to use them heforehand. You can use small gauze for woundpacking instead of granulated blood clothing products but it will take some courage to pack the gauze in the wound with your finger.
A collapsable CPR mask is also useful.