I saw this statement on Facebook:



This seems like nonsense to me. What do you think?

Alright, this video (in Japanese) shows a technique -- you use the headrest as a pry bar, not as a punch. I think the video is clear enough that you don't need to know Japanese to understand what's going on. The most important part begins around 0:24.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZTa8Nh0VlE

If it were true, it would at least be mentioned in the manuals (which very few people actually read).
It might be possible to use it but I´d rather rely on my Resqme. The bulk of the headrest is going to make it awkward at least.

Nothing to this effect in either of our car manuals (1914 Prius and 2005 Sentra) and I have read through both of them, with particular emphasis on the section on safety. There is nothing in either manual about using the headrest as an escape tool. This sounds like sliced baloney to me...Why would anyone develop a safety feature and then not mention it?

In real world terms, how significant would such a feature be. How often would one be able to use such a feature?

There is no way it would be addressed in your 1914 Prius manual. Printing costs were simply too high to address every feature that came with the automobile at the time. Sadly, all the designers have died, otherwise I'd have suggested you contact the company directly to inquire.

The 1914 Prius was definitely ahead of its time, but did it even have head-rests?

Time blurs when you reach geezerdom! how about 2014 Prius? The owner's manual for the 1914 Prius is a rare collector'site.... Footnote: in 1914, electric cars (but not the Toyota Prius) were surprisingly common.

I think hikermor has outed himself as Marty McFly...

I was unaware of the pry bar method for breaking the window. Another use for the small pry bar that we all carry around! Hurray for this simple, versatile tool!

PS. I didn't know about electric cars in the early 20th century. Holy cow! How did we miss that technology??? I prefer quiet cars with less pollution.

I doubt that headrests were intentionally made to be window smashers. However, it might be worth a try to use one of the metal prongs for that task. It would be unwieldy, but it might work. A sharp impact strike in a small area will easily break out a car side window (nor the windshield though).

In all my years as a paramedic, I never saw glass broken out by a head rest. By heads, yes, but head rests, no.

Wouldn't work in my car. Might in my wife's. Both cars have rescue knives with carbide glass breakers secured low on the driver's door.

Here is a brief quote from Wikipedia:"Electric cars were popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engines, electric starters in particular, and mass production of cheaper gasoline vehicles led to a decline in the use of electric drive vehicles."

Good as this entry is, it is incomplete - no discussion of the 1914 Prius.....

From a mechanical engineer´s point of view the headrest was designed the way it is: removeable and with a sharp edge on the prongs. It saves smoothing up to four edges and designing and building an unneeded retention device. That is money saved and therefore money earned.
Designing it as a safety feature would require proof that it will work reliably and can be deployed with enough ease over the service life of the vehicle. That would create significant extra costs with no real benefit.


If it saves only a few people that´ll be enough. Surviving a ditch in the water makes one a probable customer for a new car. That´s a clear win-win situation.

Inquiring minds want to know, so I plodded out to my Sentra and inspected the headrest. The twin prongs are nicely chamfered at a 45 degree angle (impeccable Japanese crafsmanship)- wouldn't want the owner to get any nasty gashes or cuts which could result in expensive lawsuits....

"If it saves only a few people that´ll be enough" has a nice ring to it, but some sort of rescue tool will probably be far more effective. Rather than wrestling with my headrest, I am more likely to use the Phillips head screwdriver on my Leatherman tool. It will likely be far more accessible.

That may really depend on the pride the manufactures take in their product. I have seen some with a sharp edges too. It´s a matter of manufacturing costs though.



It´s not intended as rescue tool. Some headrests cannot even be removed from an upright seat.

I prefer what they do in my country. New cars are delivered with two rescue tools as standard. One for each front seat.

Not sure if it's law or not, but have not seen newer cars without.

again, preparing for something which is pretty unlikely.

Snopes classes this as 'mostly false':

http://www.snopes.com/car-headrests-emergency-escape/

qjs

Thanks for the link, quick joey!

I think a more accurate way of describing it is ( if you don't have anything else, try to use the headrest to break the glass, since, luckily, it is detachable !!) instead of ( it was made detachable for the purpose of breaking the glass )