# Could I punch through a car window? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000 "2010-06-21T16:40:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/21 "2010-06-22T01:34:54Z")
Don’t try to punch through the windshield, it is not only tempered but laminated too. Try to bust out a side window. Tempered glass is about seven times stronger than regular glass of the same thickness. And since car windows are about 5/8 inches thick, it makes them very strong. The integrity of auto window glass is important in a roll-over accident. This is the reason that you can get a ticket for having a cracked windshield. It is not that the crack might obscure your view, it is because the roll-over strength has been lost, the strength of the glass is integral to the design. Tempered glass is strong, but if you hit it with something sharp it will breach the tempered skin and shatter. So you can break your hand hitting the window trying to break it, but any sharp rock or knife will make it go ‘sping!’ and kernal up into corn sized pieces. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to break a car window fast, go for the side window and hit it with something hard and sharp. Stabbing it with a little rock you find on the ground will be a lot more effective than breaking your hand by punching it like they do in the movies. Personal note: I have punched out the front windshield in an old Ford Falcon, but it involved a lot of tequila and turned out to be a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/22 "2010-06-22T02:57:37Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Your foot would be even more preferable, but take care that you don’t cut yourself on any jagged shards. Safety glass generally doesn’t have any of those, but you never know. US vehicles all use safety glass. A glass punch causes a weakness in the glass. In turn, the physical force upon that weakness causes the glass to shatter. If you can score the glass and then hit it, the glass should shatter as well. Apparently [the ceramic shard from a broken sparkplug](http://www.topgear.com.ph/features/columns/all-will-drive/your-car-glass-is-so-breakable) will shatter vehicle glass much easier than a big rock. 8700 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/23 "2010-06-22T03:24:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Punching windshields was a fad not too long ago. Since safety glass is used for all auto windows and windshields, where a layer of plastic is sandwiched between glass. The punching or hitting with a heavy object usually serves to fragment the glass, making the pane flexible so it can be pulled apart or out of the frame. > The trouble is your OP mentioned a child locked in the car unattended. Anything done to fracture glass could cause glass fragments to fly in the interior, with eye damage being a possible problem. So outside of an urgent circumstance, like the car being on fire, or the child already passed out from heat, find another means to gain entry to the car. The first thing to do would be calling the police, fire department, or rescue squad, who should be equipped to safely open a locked car, or could advise you on steps to take. Many modern cars use a bonding resin that would prevent you from being able to pull windshield off. (In fact there is no frame, just a bead of resin, and the glass sits on top. To remove the glass, a wire is inserted through the resin and sawed back and forth around the perimeter of the window. Side windows are also safety glass, so the risk of flying glass to anyone inside is small. However many cars now have what is sometimes called anti-smash, anti-theft or quiet glass, which has a plastic sandwich between two layers of glass just like the windshield and rear window. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/24 "2010-06-22T03:33:46Z")
> [@eno801](#): > > My niece when she was five or so accidentally locked her self in an Astro van as my mother was putting the shopping cart back. My mom freaked and some guy came and punched out the rear window about 20" x 20" with just a windbreaker wrapped around his fist. This is a blonde joke variant isn’t it? The kid couldn’t open the door herself? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/25 "2010-06-22T03:35:55Z")
My parents put a tool [like this](http://www.lifehammer.com/a_lifehammer/pages/features.htm) in my stocking one Christmas. You’re supposed to keep it in your car so you can break out if you’re trapped inside. If you are locked OUT of the car…well, tough luck 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![notsoheavyd3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85e7bf/32.png) [@notsoheavyd3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notsoheavyd3)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/26 "2010-06-22T04:13:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I remember that. Goldberg actually had some protective plastic on the windshield, and maybe his hand. But it wasn’t enough to stop broken glass from cutting open his arm. My understanding on what happened was that Goldberg has a short piece of pipe hidden in his fist and that’s what he was actually using to break the windows.(Which is why he was using a hammer fist each time, the pipe was sticking out the side of his fist.) Unfortunately when he broke the second window he accidently dropped the pipe inside the car and broke the last window with his hand.(Cutting himself pretty seriously in the process.) Anyway here’s a video of it. (He was out quite a while recovering from the injuries he suffered on the last window.) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgFffrghBE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgFffrghBE) ---
**Author:** ![King\_Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@King\_Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Friday)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/27 "2010-06-22T04:31:24Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > …would a person of average strength and ability be able to knock out a car window without the use of tools? Sensei did, as seen [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxLO_krNcjc#t=7m50s). ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/28 "2010-06-22T14:00:44Z")
> [@notsoheavyd3](#): > > My understanding on what happened was that Goldberg has a short piece of pipe hidden in his fist and that’s what he was actually using to break the windows.(Which is why he was using a hammer fist each time, the pipe was sticking out the side of his fist.) Unfortunately when he broke the second window he accidently dropped the pipe inside the car and broke the last window with his hand.(Cutting himself pretty seriously in the process.) Anyway here’s a video of it. (He was out quite a while recovering from the injuries he suffered on the last window.) > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgFffrghBE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgFffrghBE) It’s amazing that he was able to stay in character and continued pounding on the limousine with a broken and bleeding hand. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/29 "2010-06-22T14:11:27Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > It is impossible to break a car windshield with your bare hand. > > [Exhibit 1 at 0:45](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3GRTUT0sH4) > > If he can’t do it, no one can. > [@jjimm](#): > > I should add, it was a side window, not the windscreen. > [@Telemark](#): > > IIRC, that’s for clearing out a windshield, which is a very different type of glass than the side windows. You can’t punch through a windshield, so you want to get the edge to pop up so you can peel the window away. Of course not, you have to [use your head](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=785_1247666174). ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/30 "2010-06-22T14:19:15Z")
A big guy I used to be friends with - Darrell - did this once stoned and drunk out of his mind. It took about three punches, he got through, but he definitely broke some knuckles. ---
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/31 "2010-06-22T14:24:16Z")
sorry i forgot months in the sentence.she punched the key remote to lock the doors, my mother gave her the keys to entertain her for the minute or so she was putting the cart back to those little cart islands in the parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/32 "2010-06-22T14:53:10Z")
I like the scene in “Last Action Hero” where Ahnold is out the movie world into the real world; he tries to punch in a car’s side window, only to have his hand bounce off the unharmed window and he yells “That hurt!”. OTOH, a friend of mine got into trouble at age 16 when he tried to dislodge a thick layer of freezing rain off the windshield. He kept punching the windshield with the side of his fist until he suddenly found he had a giant spiderweb of cracks on the passenger side. Oops. I guess the repeated deforming eventually got the cracks to start. I have had a giant bird hit my Honda Civic windshield at 75mph many years ago. (It was slow leaving the road kill) I swear the windshield bowed in about 3 inches, but there was no sign of damage and the windshield was fine for many years after that. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/33 "2010-06-22T14:57:47Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > It’s amazing that he was able to stay in character and continued pounding on the limousine with a broken and bleeding hand. Was this part of his _Celebrity Apprentice_ work? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/34 "2010-06-22T17:06:33Z")
> [@Ruminator](#): > > Aren’t most door windows on modern cars slightly convex? > > If so, that shape will make it even harder to break with a blunt object like a fist. It’s like that school trick where you challenge someone to try and crush an egg just by squeezing it in the hand. It can’t be done! However, lightly tapping an egg on the edge of a pan will crack the shell easily. Are you telling me I cannot crush an egg in my hand? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/35 "2010-06-22T17:17:30Z")
> [@notsoheavyd3](#): > > My understanding on what happened was that Goldberg has a short piece of pipe hidden in his fist and that’s what he was actually using to break the windows.(Which is why he was using a hammer fist each time, the pipe was sticking out the side of his fist.) Unfortunately when he broke the second window he accidently dropped the pipe inside the car and broke the last window with his hand.(Cutting himself pretty seriously in the process.) Anyway here’s a video of it. (He was out quite a while recovering from the injuries he suffered on the last window.) > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgFffrghBE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgFffrghBE) > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > It’s amazing that he was able to stay in character and continued pounding on the limousine with a broken and bleeding hand. He probably needed a few stitches to close the wound, but it was much less serious than presented. The time off is more likely to have been related to other injuries, or a contract dispute. It’s also impossible to get the lowdown on anything that happens in pro wrestling, the whole game is based on twisting reality with fantasy. All in all it shows how stupid it is to punch glass. The scar on my hand is constant reminder of that. ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/36 "2010-06-22T17:28:05Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > Are you telling me I cannot crush an egg in my hand? If you have an egg in the refrigerator, give it a try. You wrap your hand around the egg as if you’re holding a tennis racket. Then try closing your hand is if you’re making a tight fist. The egg will resist the crushing pressure. Last time I tried it, I couldn’t do it. If you are able to do it, you’d be surprised at how much strength it actually takes. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/37 "2010-06-22T17:33:27Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > Are you telling me I cannot crush an egg in my hand? I believe that this myth is just a prank to pulled on the unsuspecting. I have done it repeatedly to show that it can be done. But be warned, it does explode and make an enormous mess (launching innards 10+ feet) so only do it outside. ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/38 "2010-06-22T17:45:13Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > I believe that this myth is just a prank to pulled on the unsuspecting. It’s not a prank: [How to Squeeze an Egg Without Breaking It: 7 Steps (with Pictures)](http://www.wikihow.com/Squeeze-an-Egg-Without-Breaking-It) I guess it depends on how one approaches the experiment. If one is hell bent on crushing the egg, he will find a way to adjust his grip or curl his fingers to eventually break it. However, if the intent is to test the limits of the egg’s shell, you follow the directions mentioned in the link. You will surprise yourself because intuition says the egg’s shell is fragile under all circumstances. The point is that the convex shape of the egg, the curvature of an bridge’s arch, and the curvature of door windows (with hammer blows bouncing off of them) show similar principles of geometric integrity. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/39 "2010-06-22T17:47:51Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > Are you telling me I cannot crush an egg in my hand? ``` Oh Oh! We've got a nibble! Set the hook and haul him in!:D ``` ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000/40 "2010-06-22T18:21:43Z")
> [@Ruminator](#): > > It’s not a prank: [How to Squeeze an Egg Without Breaking It: 7 Steps (with Pictures)](http://www.wikihow.com/Squeeze-an-Egg-Without-Breaking-It) > > I guess it depends on how one approaches the experiment. > > If one is hell bent on crushing the egg, he will find a way to adjust his grip or curl his fingers to eventually break it. > > However, if the intent is to test the limits of the egg’s shell, you follow the directions mentioned in the link. You will surprise yourself because intuition says the egg’s shell is fragile under all circumstances. > > The point is that the convex shape of the egg, the curvature of an bridge’s arch, and the curvature of door windows (with hammer blows bouncing off of them) show similar principles of geometric integrity. A friend was trying this once to no avail. While he was squeezing his hardest, I lightly touched the egg with the tip of my finger. Egg went everywhere. It was cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-punch-through-a-car-window/544000.md?page=3)