The Manitoba Coalition for Safer Waters  held a demonstration last week to show how drivers and passengers can escape from a vehicle submerged in water.

It was to mark the anniversary of the death of Brittany Storey, a 29-year-old woman whose body was recovered from a submerged vehicle northeast of Winnipeg a year ago.

Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, a vehicle submersion expert, tells us there is a short time in which to escape a vehicle once it’s in the water.

“The reality is, you’ve really only got a minute or so to get out. It’s going to continue to sink lower in the water and then once the water gets up against the windows, you have no chance to open doors, windows or anything else. So you need to get out! Don’t call 911 because there is no emergency response that’s going to get to you within the period in which you can be saved.”

Giesbrecht encourages us to remember S for seatbelts - undo them, W for windows - open them, O - for outside immediately and C - children first.

He said of anything you need to remember to save your life, remember this.