My earlier comments were based on my recollections from seeing videos of sinking cars - plus tests by people who tried to escape them.

The article referenced here is good. But it does not give enough detail about how they opened the windows. Did they roll them down with a mechanical door handle, or punch them out with a counterpunch?

One question I would have is this ... if you break an auto window with a counterpunch, does the whole thing just shatter? Or do you wind up with a partial break and jagged pieces still protruding. I wonder how easy this breaking maneuver really is - given that time is limited and you may need to break several windows?

Practically, I cannot imagine a whole family in a minivan going out through just one window. There would be too much fear and panic. You'd need to break at least one window in the front and back.

Bottom line - you've got to have that breaking tool immediately accessible. The article did get that part right.

Pete