How to use a window breaker: the 4-step guide
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A window breaker is used in a few seconds, as long as you know the moves before you need them. Read this guide once, and you will know what to do on the day.
Step 1: cut the seatbelt if it is jammed
If the seatbelt will not unbuckle, slide the strap into the slot of the seatbelt cutter, then pull firmly at an angle. The blade, protected inside the slot, cuts the strap safely. More details in how to cut a seatbelt.
Step 2: choose the right window
Aim for a side window made of tempered glass, never the windscreen, which is laminated. If your side windows are laminated, the rear window is often the right exit. See laminated or tempered glass: which one to break.
Step 3: press in a lower corner
- With a spring-loaded window breaker: place the tip in a lower corner of the window and press firmly until it clicks. No swing needed.
- With a window breaker hammer: strike the lower corner with the tip, sharply. You need room to swing.
The corner is the most fragile area of the glass: that is where the window gives way most easily.
Step 4: clear the opening and get out
Protect your face with your arm, push the remaining pieces outwards with the tool or a protected elbow, then get out. Then help the children out. If the car is in water, follow the steps in our guide car in water.
Practise the move, not the breaking
Never test your window breaker on your car window. Instead, practise the move without breaking anything: grab the tool, place it in the corner of the window, aim the strap into the slot. Some tools come with a small test glass so you can see the mechanism work.
Easy to use, even under stress
SafeCore Pro is used with one hand: press for the window, slot for the seatbelt. It is fixed in the console with its mount.
