We geeks do love our geekery. We love stuff with blinking lights, interactivity, etc. – but many of us also have a penchant for mutli-tools. Especially if they’re shiny metal objects. This tool is super low tech. The only moving part is your elbow and subsequent elbow grease. It costs very little, but can save lives. What prompts me to post on this in general? I saw this story online, about a woman who broke a car window to rescue a toddler who would have likely suffered irreparable brain damage if not death from the sweltering heat in her aunt and uncle’s vehicle. At temperatures soaring over 100°F outside, they her relatives left her locked in their vehicle as they went shopping for shoes.
I could get into a whole diatribe about the grown men standing around, doing nothing but gawking as this woman wailed on the window many, many times with a crowbar before the window finally broke… but this is a geek blog, so I’m going to focus on the geekery that could have rescued this child faster.
You may be thinking – what are the chances you will ever be in a similar situation? The truth is, tempered glass is hard to break on purpose. We don’t want windows shattering because the rock hauler on the highway in front of us drop a decent sized rock that hit our windshield. We may not be happy with the crack that may result, but we have no glass shards sticking in our eyes – so we’re grateful if we give it significant thought.
Even a minor car wreck can bend a door and/or a frame just enough so that a car door cannot be opened. If a fire ensues, you or the person you’re trying to rescue needs to be extricated from the vehicle immediately. If the wreck damaged the belt buckle so that it cannot be unfastened – what are you going to do? This tool takes care of both scenarios. It can easily and quickly break through any window on your car AND easily slice through your thick, nylon seat belt.
There are several versions of these and they are very inexpensive.
Want a stocking stuffer for all your friends this upcoming Chanukah or Christmas? These useful tools also come in keychain size.
This tiny version is just as effective and fits on your keyring so it’s always accessible. Don’t be a statistic. The life you save might be your own.