Man unable to open car doors after battery failure; dies

[bonzombiekitty]

Maybe, or maybe not. The glass used in side windows is pretty tough stuff, and is probably laminated.

To my knowledge, while strong, the glass in side windows are made of tempered glass and designed to shatter into safe, tiny fragments. This is in part to allow easier rescue. Side windows should shatter fairly easily if you put enough pressure on a small point. I've been told that throwing a small piece of broken ceramic off a spark plug at the window is a good way of shattering it.

ETA: Seems someone mentioned that they are starting to use laminated glass now in some cars for front, side windows. I hadn't heard that before and seems silly to me. Laminating the windshield makes sense. You don't want something to hit it at speed and have glass come flying in your face. Don't see what the advantage is with side windows.

 

[marplots]

The dog was probably in on it. No one ever suspects the canine.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm gonna guess that the sort of person who won't take the 30 minutes or so to read the owner's manual on their fancy new (even if just 'new to them') car isn't going to be the sort that buys emergency equip. for rare and unusual situations.

This.

I have a hard top convertable and I've taken the trouble to read the instructions on how to manually close it if the roof fails (infact I keep the instruction manual in the glovebox now I've read it as it is a bit of a convoluted process). Of course I am also the kind of person who keeps a lifehammer/seatbelt cutter/airbag deflater/torch tool in the center armrest too.

 

[Vic Vega]

I'll lay a £1 to a penny that it wasn't heat exhaustion. It was probably embarrassment. Imagine the shame of being seen in a Corvette.

Why don't the British build computers?

They can't find a way to make them leak oil.

 

[Trebuchet]

Are the things you use commercially available? The ones most often seen in auto parts stores look like hammers, a little large to keep handy in the car.

Ours looks like a little hammer with a point on one end of the head and a belt cutter on the other. Fits nicely in the map pocket, just about four inches long. It might actually make sense to have another for the passenger.

 

[CORed]

An humorous ad for a Citroen 2CV some years back: "Central locking. The driver can reach all the door locks"

Things have gone too far.

That was a feature of the old VW Beetle, too. The driver could reach the passenger side door lock and also the crank for the passenger side window (they were two door, so that was all you needed to reach).

 

[Ron Swanson]

To my knowledge, while strong, the glass in side windows are made of tempered glass and designed to shatter into safe, tiny fragments.

Modern cars have laminated side glass on the drivers and passenger side now (like in the 1950's) ... you can see the lamination looking at the top of the glass .. it's lighter and stronger and reduces outside sound infiltration too.

 

[Beerina]

That year of corvette has an emergency release on the floor in roughly the same area trunk releases are placed in cars now (it's a lever you lift up) ... AND it's on both sides too.

The guy was not familiar with his new "cool" sports car that's all.

Yeggster

You unlock the door by unlocking the door. That's what people know.

Everything else is untested chin-rubbing rationalizations by my fellow lazy engineers. They know this, and know better than this.

 

[qayak]

Doors shut, no life-hammer available?

Pull out one of the head-rests out of the chair and use the metal pins to break the window.

Why not just the steel end of the seatbelt buckle. Hold it tightly in your fist and give a hard, sharp strike to the middle area of the side glass.

Or turn sideways in the seat, place your feet on the side glass, brace your back against the centre consol, and push.

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[qayak]

Requires physical strength and clarity of thinking. Neither of these is a given in the circumstances.

Breaking a side glass does not require physical strength. It requires a sharp rap from a hard object. A toddler can do it by banging a rock against a window.

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[Ron Swanson]

Why not just the steel end of the seatbelt buckle ... a hard strike .. place your feet on the side glass ...

My opinion is he never even considered damaging his fancy car, I've been to lockouts where there's baby in the car and the owner never considered breaking a window.

 

[jimbob]

You unlock the door by unlocking the door. That's what people know.

Everything else is untested chin-rubbing rationalizations by my fellow lazy engineers. They know this, and know better than this.

Indeed, and this was a predictable failure mode.

 

[The Don]

Breaking a side glass does not require physical strength. It requires a sharp rap from a hard object. A toddler can do it by banging a rock against a window.

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Specifically the post I was replying to referred to removing a headrest and using it to smash the window. Removing headrests from my cars is:

- Impossible without a spanner in the Jag
- Impossible even with a spanner in the MG (there aren't any)
- Impossible without a spanner in the SAAB
- Possible for the rear seats in the Skoda but not the front and the process is a PITA which is so much easier if you're out of the car.

The seats in a 2007 Corvette appear to be integral to the seat. It would be some feat of strength to remove them....

 

[Belz...]

Texas man, dog die after being trapped in Corvette

(Bolding mine) My question is: why did he not know that?

For background, the key fob is the standard way to open the car's door. I'm guessing there isn't a interior latch on the door itself, possibly to achieve a clean look to the interior.

The car's from 2007, so it's possible he bought it used. In that case, there may not have been a dealership involved with a salesman to show him this vital safety feature.

How else could this information have been communicated to someone unfamiliar with the vehicle? Sure it's probably in the owner's manual, which he apparently was looking through in his attempts to escape. But how many people read their owner's manuals, provided they're even available for a used car?

Huh. That's why I prefer door lock knobs that I can pull manually.

 

[Belz...]

I'm surprised he couldn't break the window.

I also prefer manual windows. Not as cool when you want to say something snappy to someone and then drive away, but more reliable.

 

[Polaris]

Are the things you use commercially available? The ones most often seen in auto parts stores look like hammers, a little large to keep handy in the car.

I got one as a stocking-stuffer one year. Doesn't look like a fish, but it has both the punch and belt-slicer, plus an emergency strobe. It's roughly the size of a toilet paper roller or 12 oz Red Bull can, so it fits easily in the glove box.





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[Ron Swanson]

I virtually always have a pocket knife with me ... I like the clip on ones and keep them clipped inside my right jeans pocket ... I had to cut my seat belt once I was hanging upside down and it would not release ... there's no way I could have opened the glove box or reached anything farther away then the steering wheel.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I also prefer manual windows. Not as cool when you want to say something snappy to someone and then drive away, but more reliable.

Problem is that drivers tend to roll windows up and down when in motion, (particularly when entering and exiting barrier controlled car parks for example), electric windows are safer under these circumstances due to less distraction and time with a hand off the wheel, situations where an emergency exit is required AND the electrics have failed are far rarer.

 

[Ron Swanson]

I also prefer manual windows. Not as cool when you want to say something snappy to someone and then drive away, but more reliable.

I remember couple cars (from way back) that had BOTH electric AND manual options to operate the windows.

 

[LTC8K6]

My Jeep has inside door levers, but they are "fake". They are just switches operated by what looks like a mechanical lever. Pulling the handle is really just sending a signal to the door computer.

If you have a modern car, you might want to get a friend or relative and do a test.

Get in the car, lock the doors, and then disconnect the main battery.

See if you can get out.

I'll bet at least some of you will be surprised to learn that pulling the regular door handle doesn't do anything.