Laminated or tempered glass: which window to break in an emergency?
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To get out of a car through a window, you need to aim for the right one. Tempered glass shatters into small pieces at once; laminated glass cracks but stays in place. Knowing how to tell them apart saves precious seconds.
Tempered glass: the window that shatters into small pieces
Tempered glass is heated and then cooled very quickly. It resists impacts better, but when it gives way, it breaks entirely into small, blunt granules. It is used on most side windows and on the rear window. This is the window to aim for with a window breaker.
Laminated glass: the window that stays in place
Laminated glass is made of two layers of glass bonded to a plastic film. When struck, it cracks like a spider's web but the film holds it together. This is the case for all windscreens, and for more and more side windows on recent cars (for sound insulation and protection against break-ins). A window breaker will not get you out through laminated glass.
How to tell if a window is laminated or tempered?
- Look at the marking in a corner of each window: it often shows the type of glass, with words such as "Laminated" or "Tempered".
- Check your vehicle handbook or ask your garage.
- Walk around the car once and for all, and identify the nearest tempered window for each seat.
If all your side windows are laminated, the rear window is often tempered glass: it then becomes your emergency exit.
Where to strike to break tempered glass?
Aim for a lower corner of the window, never the centre, where the glass is most fragile. With a spring-loaded window breaker, just press until it clicks. All the moves are in our guide how to break a car window in an emergency, and the step-by-step instructions are here: how to use a window breaker.
Designed for tempered side windows
SafeCore Pro concentrates the force of its spring on a tiny tip. One press is enough to shatter a tempered side window, and the protected blade cuts the seatbelt.
