National Safety Month: resqme® Emergency Tool Provides Drivers Peace of Mind

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A vehicle carrying four teenagers careened through a 3-foot chain link fence, slipped down an embankment, and hurdled into 10-foot deep waters in Queens, New York last April. It took rescuers 30-minutes to smash the windows and pull the four youths from the vehicle, saving only one. The incident is one of many cases reported with recent studies, including those from Prof. Gordon Giesbrecht of Operation ALIVE (Automobile submersion: Lessons In Vehicle Escape) showing approximately 400 yearly deaths from submersed vehicles.

In observance of National Safety Month(June), it's important to know how to safely escape from a sinking vehicle. The resqme® emergency tool is a compact window-breaker and seatbelt-cutter that can be carried on your keys for easy access. Designed out of need for a portable automobile emergency rescue device, resqme's revolutionary 0.6-ounce rescue tool features a concealed steel blade that swiftly cuts through seatbelts, and a spring-loaded spike that easily shatters window glass with one push.  It provides passengers with an easy escape in the event of car entrapment, and is a perfect keychain companion for drivers and rescuers alike.

"When people are trapped in a car, they tend to panic and call for help.  In many cases, help does not arrive in time, which results in unfortunate but preventable deaths," says Laurent Colasse, founder and president of resqme, Inc. "We want to provide people with an easy-to-use, affordable and portable tool that is quick and proven safe and effective."

With a window of 30-90 seconds for passengers to get out of a sinking vehicle, Colasse provides seven steps to ensure safety and survival:

1. Breathe deeply.
2. Stay calm.
3. Do not use cell phones to call for help.
4. Quickly detach seat belt. If jammed, pull out resqme tool and cut it.
5. Open side window. If blocked, protect eyes, and break with resqme.
6. Detach seat belt from other passengers—cutting it with resqme, if jammed—and let them out from oldest to youngest.
7. Exit the vehicle and swim swiftly above water to the closest bank.

This National Safety Month, it is essential that people become prepared and proactive in car accidents. With resqme, this can be possible. For more information about resqme, please visit www.resqme.com/US or contact Rajan De Los Santos of ChristieCommunications(www.christiecomm.com) at (805) 969-3744 or [email protected].

SOURCE resqme