If you don’t panic. Sure.
Billionaire CEO died after Tesla reversed into lake. Why it took an hour to get her out
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Thanks for preserving my dignity
In response to this news, there was a piece on NY Times or WSJ that actually said windows can still be rolled down at the beginning. How long the windows remain operable likely is car and circumstance specific.
" thermal runaway " that's cute.
My father built nukes. the industry had a cute term for "apocalypse " = "nuclear excursion "
My father built nukes. the industry had a cute term for "apocalypse " = "nuclear excursion "
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So are we saying the hammer to break the glass is pointless in a Lucid and that rolling down the window quickly is the best option? Curious for my own safety and asking not just in the instance of going under water which seems that the door can open once the pressure equalizes inside and out but also in the event of a roll over or fire....
Here's the WSJ article on this subject:
" The death of a 50-year-old chief executive highlights a little-discussed reality of motor-vehicle safety: Approximately 400 people die annually in North America in a submerged vehicle.
Angela Chao’s death resulted from a mistake she made with the gearshift in her Tesla SUV, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The error caused the vehicle to tip over an embankment and into a pond located on her Texas ranch’s 900 acres.
There are no federal regulations in the U.S. that require automakers to protect people inside the car during these dangerous scenarios. Here’s what you need to know if you are ever in this situation.
How much time do I have to act?
Drivers have about one minute to get out of the car before it fills with water. In those 60 seconds, it is necessary to have the clarity of mind to act decisively, said Gordon Giesbrecht, a senior scholar at the University of Manitoba who studies vehicle-submersion safety.
“Sixty seconds is a long time,” Giesbrecht said. “You can do a lot in 60 seconds.”
Still, it is important for drivers to know what to do in advance because decisions have to be made quickly.
“No one is reading an owner’s manual while submerged,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.
What should I do?
Try to stay calm, unbuckle your seat belt and lower your window down. Exiting through the open window is preferred above anything else. If there are children in the car, get them out first.
It is important to act swiftly before the water level rises too high and the window can no longer be opened because the pressure on it becomes too great.
Angela Chao died after she accidentally backed her car into a pond on her Texas ranch. PHOTO: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES
“Until the water gets halfway up the window, you can open it,” Giesbrecht said.
One misunderstanding of cars in water is that a vehicle will short out and lose its electricity instantaneously. Giesbrecht said some vehicles he has tested had their electronics remain on well after landing in water—enough time to give the occupant time to exit within that 60-second window.
If the car has a sunroof, that could also be a way out because it should remain operable if the power is still working, experts say.
What if I can’t open the window?
The situation gets much more complicated.
In this case, a window-breaking tool could be useful for drivers to have—as long as the windows are made of tempered glass, said Greg Brannon, American Automobile Association’s director of automotive research. Laminated glass used for cars is almost impossible to break.
Generally, the type of glass is indicated on a window label or can be found by contacting the manufacturer. Knowing what kind it is and how to possibly break it is critical. These tools can also be used on the sunroof if one is available.
“You better be ready whenever you break that glass, because you will be flooded with water,” Brannon said.
What about opening the door?
It is risky. Escaping through the door is possible once the car’s interior fills up with water and the pressure is equalized inside and out.
“Technically, that’s true,” Giesbrecht said. “But by that time, you’ll drown.”
If you can manage to open the door, water could then rush inside the vehicle, causing it to sink more quickly and leaving others inside more at risk.
For that reason, the best way out the door is through the vehicle’s windows. “Anything to do with the door is a red herring,” he said.
Should I buy a window-breaking tool?
Vendors sell numerous car window-breaking tools on Amazon.com and elsewhere, and the instruments often come with razors to cut the seat belt in the event it becomes tense from the collision.
But their ability to bust through glass underwater isn’t clear, according to researchers who have studied these incidents.
Laminated glass, which has specific safety qualities to protect people from being ejected during a crash, is nearly impossible to break underwater, AAA found after testing various tools.
Such window-breaking devices can be used on tempered glass, but still, it would be difficult to get through. A spring-loaded tool that drives a metal cone into the glass is preferable to a hammer-style mallet, according to AAA.
“It’s got to be used as soon as possible,” said Gerry Dworkin, an expert and consultant on vehicle-submergence incidents.
Does it make a difference if it is an EV or gas-powered car?
No, the occupant response should be the same for both types of vehicles.
A vehicle in water will normally sink first based on where the engine is located, as it is the heftier part of the vehicle. While an electric car lacks an internal combustion engine, it will sink in whatever direction the car is the heaviest.
“The bottom line is it’s going to sink, water is going to come in through the vents, and until the water gets up to the windows, you can open the windows and get out,” Giesbrecht said.
Electric vehicles are also designed to protect against the risk of a shock once they hit the water. That is because the high-voltage battery is isolated from the frame, according to the National Fire Protection Association, a nonprofit organization that develops fire-safety codes and standards.
“The water isn’t being energized,” said Andrew Klock, lead manager of emerging issues at the NFPA.
In some instances, small bubbles might appear from the battery in water, but this doesn’t indicate a shock hazard nor does it energize the surrounding water, the organization said.
What are the industry and regulators doing?
In short, not much.
In 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration denied a petition from an individual to require every vehicle be equipped with an “emergency window breaker.” The individual cited a vehicle-submersion death in urging the federal regulatory agency to take action.
Part of NHTSA’s rationale for the denial was that the effectiveness of such a tool during a submersion isn’t known, and that consumers can buy one if they feel it is necessary. Plus, the auto-safety agency said, in some submersion accidents, the driver might not be able to act based on what preceded the car going into the water.
In Europe, a widely regarded nonprofit group that tests and rates cars for crash safety updated its program in 2020 to better address the dangers of people stuck in vehicle submersions. It introduced new requirements to ensure that, in the event of a submergence, side windows could still be operated long enough for an occupant to exit from the vehicle, according to the website for the voluntary program.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many automakers have started to incorporate technology to meet such a standard.
Write to Ryan Felton at [email protected]"
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FYI. It was just reported that toxicology came back, she was drunk.
And there were many conspiracy theories on the other side of globe since she is also on board of one of well known bank in China.
Anyway, found the intoxicated report on BBC.
US shipping tycoon drunk when she drowned in Tesla - BBC News
Angela Chao phoned a friend as the Model X SUV sank into a pond at a ranch and told her: "I love you."
www.bbc.com
I suspected that, she made a mistake. I bet that wouldn't happen if Tesla had the old fashioned, typical (like the Air and other cars) stalks.
As a pilot, I disagree. For a person under stress and under the influence of alcohol, 60 seconds is no time at all.
She was drunk AF! BAC of 0.233! Legally drunk is 0.08! I have no sympathy for her. I’m just glad she didn’t hurt or kill anyone else.
Angela Chao: Shipping billionaire intoxicated when she drowned in Tesla, police report shows
Angela Chao phoned a friend as the Model X SUV sank into a pond at a ranch and told her: "I love you."
www.bbc.com
She was on the phone after the crash for 8 min! She was clueless and drunk. Money ≠ Brains
Agree.
All depends on the circumstances. A world-class sprinter can run quite a distance in 60 secs whereas an impaired or stressed-out person could stumble only a few steps.
I didn't realize that, I meant her drunkiness level.She was drunk AF! BAC of 0.233! Legally drunk is 0.08! I have no sympathy for her. I’m just glad she didn’t hurt or kill anyone else.
Angela Chao: Shipping billionaire intoxicated when she drowned in Tesla, police report shows
Angela Chao phoned a friend as the Model X SUV sank into a pond at a ranch and told her: "I love you."
In that case, I have no sympathy for her either.
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I always find comments like this unusual. She made a mistake, and got too drunk. We’ve all been there, but luckily none of us drove.She was drunk AF! BAC of 0.233! Legally drunk is 0.08! I have no sympathy for her. I’m just glad she didn’t hurt or kill anyone else.
Angela Chao: Shipping billionaire intoxicated when she drowned in Tesla, police report shows
Angela Chao phoned a friend as the Model X SUV sank into a pond at a ranch and told her: "I love you."
Of course I still have sympathy for her; it’s an awful thing that happened. I also think it’s her fault. But sympathy seems warranted either way. Just my $.02
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