Car emergency kit
THE CAR SURVIVAL KIT DISCUSSION from a few days ago led me to consider emulating SayUncle and keep something to cut seatbelts in the car. I could have just gotten a big honking knife, but I didn’t want anything that an unsympathetic cop might consider a dangerous weapon, just in case.
Yeah, I think TN has a knife law that specifies carried knives can’t have blades longer than four inches (or some arbitrary number of inches). That being the case, there’s also these items that are made specifically for cutting belts and look nothing like weapons. They also have the added bonus of a ceramic spike for breaking out safety glass.
December 15th, 2006 at 1:24 am
39-17-1307
“(a) (1) A person commits an offense who carries with the intent to go armed a firearm, a knife with a blade length exceeding four inches (4″), or a club.” Arbitrary as it gets, since it only takes about an inch and a half of a decent push dagger to kill someone in a rather violent matter, but not particularly unusual among the old reactions to anarchists.
There are defenses to the law, of course, but it’s better to not need them. Either don’t get caught, or don’t do anything wrong in the first place. I’d stick with the latter.
Those specialist cutters work, but I wouldn’t get too attached to them if you have other options. They’re near useless for anything other than cutting fabric, and most situations where you need to cut a belt you’ll want to have something for either splint or pry work, or simply something with decent tip strength.
December 15th, 2006 at 1:43 am
Used to do rescue work at auto races. Some of the crews included firemen who had similar tools for cutting seatbelts. The seats in a race car are fixed in place; a suggestion for us motorists was to slide back the seat. This, of course, only works if the seat will move and if you’re conscious.
Eddie Bauer, among others, has a hammer-like tool that includes a belt cutter. The tool can also be used to break out a side window (try to hit the window as close to the door lock post as possible).
December 15th, 2006 at 7:18 am
Try the S&W First Response knife:
It has a curved blade designed to cut belts, not the wearer, and a spring loaded glass breaker, which also works when extended as a striking tool to break glass. And, unlike the dedicated belt cutters, it’s a knife that will cut other things: clothing, thick leather belts, upholstery, even sheet metal should the need arise.
FYI, placement of these in a vehicle is important; floating around in the glove box doesn’t work. Theses sort of tools need to be secured where they’re accessible to both front seat passengers, and in the exact same place whether the car is right side up or upside down.
Mine’s attached to the 4WD shifter on the trans hump.
December 15th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Benchmade Model 5 Rescue Hooks are secured in both our vehicles, right where they’re handy to both front seat passengers. The Model 5 is also great for hunting (gut hook). Mostly it gets used because it’s also a bottle opener. 😉
Now they’ve added the Model 7 Strap Cutter – it’s bigger and easier to grip with gloves.
December 15th, 2006 at 11:24 am
EMT scissors work great as well and also don’t have any sharp edges. They’re strong enough to cut a penny in half.
December 15th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
[…] OK, so Uncle is talking about emergency car kits again, (earlier, here too), and Jacqueline Passey is complaining talking about no electricity and nearly running out of gas, and I just can’t take it any more. […]