11 Common Movie Tropes That Would Actually Ruin Your Life

7. Wait For The Car To Sink Before Escaping

There's all kinds of conflicting advice when it comes to escaping a sinking car.

We've all heard the factoid that you should wait until the car fills with water, equalising the pressure and allowing the door to open. Hollywood has apparently heard this too, and many a hero has been found calmly holding their breath in a rapidly sinking car.

Whilst the physics definitely checks out on this one, waiting for the car to become fully submerged before attempting your escape is a bad idea. To have any chance of surviving, you'd have to maintain buddha-like levels of calm to be able to hold your breath in such a stressful situation. This is without taking into consideration any passengers, particularly children, that you would also need to get to safety.

A better option would be to go for the windows as soon as you hit the water. Don't attempt to open the door as this will just flood the car all the quicker.

You will have about 30 seconds before the water rises to window level and, if the windows are electric, your best bet is to break them.

Car windows are made from tempered glass and you will need a hard, pointed object to shatter them. Your windshield, however, is made from laminated glass and is practically indestructible. If you try to escape through the front, you will die a horrible death.