[Anchor]
Automobile windshields use laminated glass, which is designed not to shatter easily to protect drivers in the event of an accident. Recently, however, car manufacturers have also started using this glass for side windows. The problem is that this makes escaping and rescue operations difficult during an emergency.
Reporter Kim Taewon tested it out directly.
[Reporter]
A police officer urgently waves his hand while calling for his colleagues.
A man in his 70s had driven his truck into a reservoir.
[Yoon Jin-won / Responding Police Officer at the time: The car doors were locked. The windows were also up, so it was impossible to check (the driver's condition). As you know, vehicles have emergency hammers. I broke the passenger side window to (carry out rescue operations.)]
The rescue was successful thanks to the passenger side window being made of tempered glass, which breaks easily.
Tempered glass easily shatters even when a 2 kg steel ball is dropped from a height of 5 meters, or when hit with an emergency escape hammer.
Recently, however, an increasing number of vehicles have been using "laminated glass," which has a film inserted between the layers of glass, for their side windows.
The reporting team directly acquired a vehicle and conducted an experiment.
Even after striking it repeatedly with a hammer, only small cracks appear.
It cracks after being hit several times, but unlike regular glass, it doesn't give the feeling of shattering.
It only broke after being struck with a headrest and kicked dozens of times, which took over three minutes.
In a critical situation, that is enough time to decide life or death.
According to an investigation by the Korea Consumer Agency of 47 vehicle models across 6 domestic brands, it was confirmed that 12 models used unbreakable laminated glass for both front and rear seats.
While this has the advantage of making the interior quieter, almost no one knows that it makes escaping or rescue difficult instead.
[Koo Bon-tak / Yangcheon-gu, Seoul: (Laminated glass) came included by default. I had no idea it was like this, and I'm learning about it for the first time today.]
There is a way to check in advance.
These are vehicles that use laminated glass on the side.
If you look at the edge of the glass, the English word "LAMINATED" is written on it.
Even if you roll the window down, unlike regular glass, the cross-section is concave.
On the other hand, easily breakable tempered glass has "TEMPERED" written on it and has a convex cross-section.
[Kim Sung-yoo / Investigator, Consumer Safety Bureau, Korea Consumer Agency: Most rear windows use tempered glass, so they can be smashed by striking them with an emergency escape hammer.]
The Korea Consumer Agency has recommended that automobile manufacturers allow consumers to choose the type of glass when purchasing a car.
(Photo: Kim Hak-mo | Video Editing: Park Ji-in)
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