Post Hurricane Harvey, everyone in Texas is thinking in survival mode—even in San Antonio, where we weren't severely affected. What if you got caught in a flash-flood while driving your Honda? How would you escape?
Cars.com recently posted a list of do's and don'ts for just such a scenario, most of which is good:
- Do stay calm
- Don't stay in the car
- Do roll down the windows and climb out
- Don't try to save your possessions
However, we couldn't help feel alarmed at their advice "Do not try to break windows to get out. If water pressure has not equalized, glass will explode inward toward you or other occupants."
While this is true—if the floodwaters have risen above the level of your vehicle's windows and you can no longer open them due to the water pressure, breaking the glass will likely result in some nasty cuts—the alternative of waiting patiently inside the car while it fills with water until the water pressure equalizes is likely to be fatal.
As an older Jalopnik article on the same topic points out, several people (including Richard Hammond of Top Gear and Adam Savage of Mythbusters) have attempted waiting in a sinking car for the pressure to equalize, and both men would have drowned if not for a dive team with breathing masks standing by.
The Cars.com article suggests you will only need to wait until the water fills up to "neck level" to open the doors, however in televised demonstrations, the car doors would not open until after all air had escaped, and the occupants were left holding their breath for several seconds. Jamie Hyneman was able to successfully escape a sinking car this way on Mythbusters by remaining calm and meditating as the vehicle flooded, but in a panicked real-world scenario, you are far more likely to survive by risking a few cuts on broken glass.
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