Crime & Safety

How to Survive If Your Car Plunges Off a Bridge

AAA details how to survive the unthinkable.

When a 22-year-old college student plunged off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Friday night in her car into the water, 40 feet below, she said later to a reporter: "I didn't want to go out that way."

The driver was able to escape her vehicle, swim to the surface, and to nearby rocks while she awaited rescue by emergency responders. Could you?

AAA Mid-Atlantic offers tips here on how to survive the unthinkable.

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These types of crashes are rare, according to safety officials. The most recent crash in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. metro area was in February when a driver’s vehicle plunged into the Potomac River from the Arlington Memorial Bridge. What you do and how you react within moments of the crash into water will determine your survival, the auto club advises. “Add darkness and near freezing water, and your chances of escape have greatly diminished,” safety experts warn.  

 “Although less than one-half of 1 percent of all automobile crashes involves a vehicle being submerged under water, it is still a very frightening situation to motorists and their terrified passengers, especially young children and the elderly,” said John B. Townsend II, a spokesman with AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Previous research shows that between 400 to 600 persons lost their lives each year in the United States as their vehicles plummet into a canal, river, or a ditch for that matter.”

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Experts tend to vary on their tips.  For example, the brothers Magliozzi, Tom and Ray, of NPR’s “Car Talk” say: “The correct way to get out of a sinking car is to float in the cabin until water is within about 2 inches of the roof. At that time pressure in and outside the car will be equal and it will be easy to open the door and swim out.”  For safety’s sake and to avoid confusion, first responders and the National Safety Commission offer the following tips when your vehicle plunges into the fathoms below:

  • Don’t panic. Once your car hits the water it will not sink immediately (You will have at least one or two minutes before the car begins to sink, safety experts say).
  • If possible, jump out while car is on surface.
  • If your car is still floating, roll down the window and unbuckle your seat belt to escape.
  • If your car is submerged, safety experts suggest remaining buckled up while you break the driver or passenger’s side window to escape.
  • Allow the pressure of the water to equalize inside the sodden vehicle before attempting to open the doors or windows. Water weighs 62.4 lbs. per cubic foot.
  • Move toward rear of vehicle where the air bubble is forming.
  • Water pressure against the water-logged doors will make opening the doors very difficult until the pressure inside of the vehicle and outside of the vehicle are equal. 
  • Open your windows to allow yourself and your passengers to escape (Contrary to popular opinion, the “power windows won’t stop working within seconds after impact.” The power can stay on as along as 10 minutes).

The crash from the Bay Bridge is a reminder to motorists of the importance of carrying and keeping a sharp tool, such as a Philips screwdriver or a spring-loaded center punch, in their glove compartment or in the cabin of their vehicle. The tool is a life-saver. Here’s why: it allows you to break the tempered glass to extricate yourself and your passengers from the sinking vehicle. Other salient tips include:     

  • If the windows are blocked, try to push the windshield or rear window out with your feet or shoulder.
  • Rescue the children or passengers who need assistance to help them to escape. If children are in the sinking or submerged car, unbuckle their seat belts and or child passenger seat, starting with the oldest child first.
  • Safeguard the kids. Push the children out the vehicle ahead of you.
  • Always keep a window-breaking tool in your vehicle in an easily accessible location, safety experts suggest.
  • Remove heavy clothing before attempting to swim to safety.
  • Swim to the surface as safely and quickly as possible (swim in the direction of the current if you’re in deep water).
  • Push off for quick rise to the surface.
  • If you can’t swim try to float. Use your body’s natural buoyancy to float.  Raise your head to breathe.
  • Call for medical attention as quickly as possible.  


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