UhOhToons · Water and cars
How to Escape a Sinking Car With Kids
How to escape a sinking car with your kids in the back, before the one minute runs out.
What not to do
- Don't grab your phone.
- Don't push the door. The water holds it shut.
- Not the windshield. It won't break.
- Don't wait for the car to fill up. Go now.
This really happened
August 2020, Salt Lake City: a car flipped into a canal with a mom and four kids inside. Rescuers dove in for the two youngest. Read the report
Every word of the Short
Your car is sinking. Your kids are in the back. You have about one minute. Here's how you all get out. Don't grab your phone. Don't push the door. The water holds it shut.
One. Seatbelt off. Yours first.
Two. Window down. Right now, while the button still works. Stuck? Smash a bottom corner of a side window. Not the windshield. It won't break. Smash it with what? A window tool. Keep one on your keys, not in the glove box.
Three. Kids out first. Big kids first. They climb out on their own. Little ones can't unbuckle. So you do it. Strap stuck? Cut it with your window tool. Pull them up front, and push them out ahead of you. Leave your bags. Nothing heavy.
Four. You go right behind them. Don't wait for the car to fill up. Go now. Hold on to the car. Then swim to safety. Once you're safe, call 911. Say it with me. Seatbelt. Window. Kids. Out. Tonight, practice it with your family. Out loud. And check your car's manual. Some side windows won't break either. Follow UhOhToons to live.
Sources
Every step in this video comes from these sources. We re-read each one before the video went out.
- University of Manitoba, Gordon Giesbrecht (Operation ALIVE / SWOC)
- RCMP Saskatchewan, "Don't panic": vehicle submersion survival tips (2025)
- Palm Beach County Drowning Prevention Coalition (run by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue), "Be Informed" car-canal brochure
- AAA Club Alliance, How to Escape a Sinking Vehicle
- Kids and Car Safety, Surviving Vehicle Submersion in 60 Seconds
