Some drivers still refuse to wear seatbelts on the grounds that they "can get stuck in the car if it becomes submerged in water or catches on fire." For those people, there's now a new product called the GDC Hook Knife – it's designed to sit on a keychain, and can be used to remove a seatbelt in seconds.
The design of the knife emphasizes stealth, so it just looks like an inconspicuous keychain. The main use is for safety in the event of a car accident, but it has plenty of other uses as well – such as for fishing, camping, and around the house for opening envelopes or boxes.
GDC Hook Knife's blade is two inches (51 mm) in length and weighs about a quarter of an ounce (7 grams). Users place their finger in the circle, put pressure on the back, and cut as they would with any other blade. The blade comes with a small sheath to protect users when not in use, and the blade snaps right back in there in seconds when not in use.
GERBER, the company that makes the Hook Knife, sells it directly on its website for US$11.
I kind of wish they'd show use the blade.
I was in a minor accident the three people in the car not wearing seat belts removed themselves from the car without incident I had to cut the seat belt because the latch deformed just enough not to work.
Actually, FINDING this in a crash is fairly easy--it'll be in the ignition, much easier to find and get than one in your pocket or loose in the vehicle.
Ideally, you install a proper 4-point harness in place of the standard 3-point.
As an EMT I've seen a lot of accidents and it;s true--it IS easier to get out of a car w/o a belt. It's SO easy that unbelted people are often many feet away from the car just after impact. It's also true that many of them go directly to the morgue afterwards.
Looks like this knife would also double as a skinning knife...useful for road-kill...
What might be a good idea is to make seat belts like what they have in suitcases. Two looped belts come across from 2 corners each and have a simple interlocking mechanism that can be release with a very simple push on the centre protrusion. This would be at around chest level of a passenger/driver. It wouldn't matter if the retraction system was damaged / locked.