Handheld safety devices provide emergency-out in car accidents

More than 43,000 people died in car accidentsin the US during 2005 – 500 of whom died as a result of being trapped in their vehicle before rescue teams could extricate them. In case of a collision, many buses buses and trains are equipped with emergency hammers, but the average trapped automobile driver has to wait for the Jaws of Life to arrive with emergency services – leaving them vulnerable to further injury from leaking batteries or fuels, unexploded airbags or debris whilst still trapped in the vehicle. LifeHammer and ResQMe are personal devices to cut through seat belts and punch out windows that are designed to form an effective first line of defense in case the unthinkable, but statistically likely, happens.

Much like the emergency hammers in buses, LifeHammer is fixed to the inside of a car, usually on its dashboard. This, combined with its luminescent covering, makes it constantly visible and accessible, even when the car is plunged in water or darkness. Its precision steel point shatters side windows with one strike, and its well-protected, razor-sharp blade cuts easily through jammed seatbelts. The LifeHammer shatters all non-laminated windows, making it effective against the side windows of most automobiles. It also takes a mere 12 pounds of force to break windows with LifeHammer, meaning it could be used by most members of the family.

Unlike LifeHammer, the ResQMe can be attached to a key-chain, making it useful when a person either cannot reach LifeHammer, or is in a vehicle without it. Despite measuring only three inches and weighing 0.6 pounds, ResQMe has the same capabilities as LifeHammer - breaking windows and severing seatbelts with ease.

For video demonstrations of the LifeHammer and ResQMe in action, follow the prompts here.