Public Service Announcement

One of the exciting things about moving to California is that I'm going to have a car! I've never owned my own car. Begrudgingly my parents insured me on their cars, including the ill-fated Volvo (r.i.p. magic toaster). Buying a car was going to be one of the big stressers moving here, but Aunt Mary came to the rescue. She is selling me her limited edition 2000 Toyota Rav4, and last weekend when Paul and I went to visit I even got to do a little test drive!

Here's a great action shot of me pretending to back up:

I was a little nervous because I haven't regularly driven a car for the past 4.5 yrs (in Cambridge I had a bike, and NYC is as comprehensive as it gets for American public transportation), and it's been ages since I drove stick (and the Volvo had a push-button 5th gear you didn't even need to clutch to enter). Fortunately, it's just like riding a bike - it all came back very quickly (much to the relief of Aunt Mary and Paul who made sure I had safely backed out of the drive-way before getting in - apparently thinking "which one's the clutch and which one's the brake" out loud didn't make them feel very safe).

So today, while I was searching for desk-top file folder systems to help get myself organized, inspired by an article on organizing style, I perused the section of car accessories, which brings me to my Public Service Announcement.

EVERYONE who drives should own one of these:

The Container Store calls is a "life hammer," although I'm not sure that's the technical name. (Interestingly you can't buy it on their website, only in store. My guess is hardware and auto-parts stores would also carry this item). I first learned about these years ago in my Lifeguard/CPR training. This hammer is used in the event that your car becomes submerged in water. Electronic locking systems and windows often cease functioning. This tool is designed so that you can punch out the window with the little hammer points, and there is a razor blade at the other end should you need to cut the seat belt. Now you might think, "what are the chances of me careening into a body of water in my car?" Not good, hopefully. But now think about the chances that you'd be prepared to handle such an emergency. To complete this P.S.A. I'd like to review the protocol for such an emergency:

1. Try to get out of the car as soon as possible.
   
2. If you can, 0pen the window as soon as you hit the water; the door will have too much pressure against it.
   
3. If you can't open the window, break it with the handy gadget above, your foot, or some other heavy object.
   
4. If you can't break the window, you'll have to wait for the pressure to equalize (i.e. the car to fill with water). The car will sink engine first, so move to the back of the car where an airpocket will form. Take a deep breath and try to open the door.

See, you really don't want to get to Step 4. This scenario was accurately depicted on an episode of CSI: Miami not too long ago. Thankfully, the scene did not contain David Caruso, so it's actually watchable.

Safe travels!