Thousands of people die each year from car accidents, and hundreds of those deaths happened because passengers were trapped in their vehicles before rescue teams could extricate them. The LifeHammer is a personal device that you can use to cut through seat belts and punch out windows, so you don't have to wait for the Jaws of Life to arrive before you free yourself from a wreck.

Much like the emergency hammers you see on buses, the LifeHammer is fixed to the inside of a car, usually on the dashboard. Its luminescent covering makes it constantly visible should the car plunge into water or darkness. It has a blade to saw through jammed seatbelts and a steel-tipped point that can reportedly shatter any non-laminated window, making it effective on most side windows. You need just 12 pounds of force to break windows with the LifeHammer, so most members of the family should be able to use it effectively.

Another gadget from the same company is the Res-Q-Me Keychain Escape Tool: Despite measuring only 3 inches long and weighing just 0.6 pounds, the ResQMe supposedly has the same capability as the LifeHammer to break windows and cut seatbelts.

Via Gizmag