How to Escape the Trunk of a Car
When looking in the trunk of your car, you may have noticed some latches that allow you to open the trunk from the inside. While we all may laugh at the thought of someone accidentally getting locked into the trunk of a car, it can become a dangerous and serious situation very quickly. That’s why we put together your plan for how to escape the trunk of a car.
Option One
First of all, you need to know that not all trunks have the emergency latch that allows it to be opened from the inside. These have been required by law in the U.S. since 2001. In a recent study done by Today and the Miami-Dade Police Department, many volunteers could not locate the latch even in trunks that had them.
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Take a look in your own trunk and find where the latch is, or if your car even has one. Also, remember that if you do get locked into a trunk that isn’t yours, the latch glows in the dark, which may make it easier to find.
Now, once you’re in the trunk, it’s important to remember not to panic. You’ll have plenty of air, so take a deep breath and come up with a plan.
If the trunk you’re trapped in does have an emergency release latch, all you’ll need to do is pull on it, and the trunk will pop open. You’re free!
Option Two
If you don’t have a latch, look for one on the backseat of the car. If there is a latch there, pull on it. Still doesn’t budge? You might need to push on the seat to get it to move. Then you can escape the car through the doors.
If there isn’t a latch on the backseat, start looking for a weak spot in seats. You should look for gaps in between the seats. Kick or push on them with your hands or other body weight to get it to open. This might take a lot of effort and a bit of time, but it will be worth it if it gets you out safely.
Option Three
A third option if neither of the above work, or if the car is moving, is to break a tail light.
You’ll probably need to pull back the carpet in the trunk to get to the headlights, but it should be fairly easy to move. Once you get to it, kick the tail light. You’ll need to break all the way through so you can fit your hand out to wave at other drivers on the road.
Hopefully you’ll never to need to use this information, but it’s handy to know – just in case. Head over to our Facebook page and share this article with someone you care about!
