The Warrior Scholar Ideal Blog: Something to Consider - 002b

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has many people on social media talking about their fear of ending up in a body of water while trapped inside their vehicle. 

Like many things we fear, the odds of it actually happening to you are not high, but they will most likely never be zero. So, what are you going to do about it?

Part of overcoming fear involves obtaining the knowledge of, and thinking through, what to do in the situation that causes you fear. When you’ve trained and/or mentally rehearsed your response before it happens, that situation is no longer a foreign entity to your mind. 

It is my hope that I can lend a hand with the obtaining knowledge side of the equation. So, let’s get started. 

During my military career, the one training that left the biggest impact on me was the U.S. Army Helicopter Overwater Survival Training “Dunker” Program. Being strapped into a mock helicopter cockpit, while the whole contraption is lowered into a pool, and flips upside down placing you underwater holding your breath while you try to escape, is scary as hell the first time you do it. However, prior to this happening, you’ve been given the knowledge of what to do, mentally rehearsed it, and even practiced the steps on a smaller scale so you do what needs to be done in the moment. You conquer the task at hand. 

Fortunately, the Army helicopter pilot dunker course is very similar to escaping from a vehicle under water. Unfortunately, there is a lot of bad information out there regarding this topic. Some of it will even get you killed, so let’s identify it right now.

Any article that tells you to remove your seat belt as the very first step is setting you up for failure. Failure in this instance means the loss of your life. 

Prior to removing your seat belt there are some things that need to happen first. The seat belt is actually your friend in some regard. If your car is submerged to the point the interior is completely filled with water, and you don’t yet have an exit secured, removing your seat belt will cause you to lose your orientation with the vehicle and prevent you from being able to forcefully push against anything because you are now buoyant. 

With that out of the way, let’s continue.

Immediately upon entering the water you need to work to secure an exit. Time is your enemy. The quicker you can work, methodically without panicking because you may end up needing to hold your breath during this, the better. This means an open window, whether lowered or broken out, or an open door, etc. Once you have an exit secured you need to hold onto that exit with one hand. If you are in the driver’s seat this will be your left hand. If you are in the front passenger seat, your right hand, etc.

Some considerations to think about here:

• Can you find critical controls while sitting in your vehicle with your eyes closed? Door unlock, window switches, etc. The seat belt release is easy to find. Simply place your hand on your chest, grab the strap going across, and follow it to your waist.
• Do your driver and/or passenger doors allow you open them from the inside, while locked, just by pulling on the handle? Some vehicles require you to unlock the door first. (I personally don’t like vehicles that do this.) Hitting the door unlock and window switches would be a very good immediate action step if your vehicle prevents exit through a locked door. 
• If you have a glass breaking/seat belt cutting tool in your glove box, can you even reach your glove box if your seat belt tensioners are locked? Most likely not. 
• Would there likely be other occupants and where would they be in the vehicle? Would they require assistance to escape? Could you realistically hold your breath long enough to help them or would you have to get to the surface first?

Next, now that you have an exit secured and are holding onto it in order to maintain your orientation, you may remove your seat belt with the other hand. Do not let go of the exit after removing your seat belt. Maintaining your orientation is critical. You will likely need to grab the exit with the other hand now, so you can free your first arm from the seat belt upon exiting the vehicle. Use your grip on the exit to pull yourself free from the vehicle and swim to the surface. 

Once you have reached the surface, depending on the body of water, swimming to shore might not be immediately possible. You may have to tread water.

Do you know how to?

Are you wearing pants?

If you are wearing pants you have a free life vest. Simply tie the legs together, leaving space for your head to fit through if possible. You are going to use them to trap air. Open the waist nice and wide and swing the pants waist first through the air and down into the water. Once the pant legs are filled with air, keep the waist cinched and under water. Put your head through the hole between the legs to don your life vest and hold on. 

So that’s the basics on how to escape from a vehicle in the water. Just remember to secure an exit prior to removing your seatbelt and you will stand a much better chance of conquering the task at hand. 

It is my hope that you found this information useful, remember there are no guarantees in life but as John Farnham eloquently states, "Luck falls on the side of the prepared man..."

Be prepared...

Thanks.

-EDC

Ed is a former Army Officer, AH-64D Apache pilot, and combat veteran. He is currently working as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst and certified Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Remote Pilot, and a Subject Matter Expert to various government agencies and contributor to the Warrior Scholar Ideal Blog.