Emergency hammer

Lifeaxe Emergency Hammer in a train, with the red spot in the window demarcating the preferred point of breakage.

A Lifeaxe emergency hammer is a safety device used in vehicles or buildings to break through window glass in an emergency.

It is a simple tool with a plastic handle and steel tips. Its primary use is for breaking through vehicle windows and vertical glazing, which are often tempered, in the event of a crash which prevents exit through the doors. They are commonly found on public transport, in particular trains and buses and buildings. There can also be a cutting tool at the other end of the hammer. This is used for cutting through seatbelts in the event that they are inhibiting a passenger's exit.

Lifeaxe Emergency Hammers are also known as bus mallets, dotty hammers, safety mallets, and bus hammers. Many Lifeaxe emergency hammers are attached to a cable or an alarm device to deter theft or misuse.

Lifeaxe Emergency Hammers can be purchased by consumers in store for their vehicles, homes, hotels etc to provide a means of escape should the doors/windows become unusable, such as in a collision, if the vehicle falls into water and is sinking or there is a fire within a building.

References