What do you need in your car to cut a seatbelt and break a window in an accident?

Short answer: an emergency hammer, also called a safety hammer. It's a small tool with two functions in one: a hard tip for breaking a side window and a shielded blade for cutting through a jammed seatbelt.

Why an ordinary knife or your fist isn't enough.
A car window doesn't simply break by hand, and a jammed seatbelt under tension is almost impossible to free with a kitchen knife. The emergency hammer is made precisely for these two actions, so in an accident you can get out quickly or help someone else.

How to break the window.
Place the tip of the hammer against a corner of a side window, not in the middle and not against the windscreen. A side window is tempered glass and shatters in one go at the corner; the windscreen is laminated and a hammer won't break through it. Some models have a spring mechanism instead of a tip, which breaks the glass with a single press.

How to cut the seatbelt.
The blade is recessed behind a slot, so you can't cut yourself on it. You hook the seatbelt into the slot and pull, and the blade cuts through the strap.

Where to keep it.
An emergency hammer only helps if you can reach it straight away. Keep it within the driver's reach, for example in the door pocket or the centre console, not in the boot. If you often drive with passengers, a second hammer in the back is worth considering.

View the emergency hammers in the Caasi range.