The numbers get your attention:

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 600 people in America die every year as a result of drowning in their cars.

None of us every think we'll find ourselves in this position.

Including me, but that statistic got me wondering: if my car were submerged in water, what would i have to do to get out?

I decided to find out...for myself...by placing myself inside a sinking car on Lake Okoboji.

We partnered with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Arnold's Park-Okoboji Fire Rescue for this story:

One of the conditions: paramedics on stand-by: before i tried this, they wanted to check my blood pressure, worried the stress could trigger an issue with my heart.

They gave me the green light to go.

It looks fairly warm right now but the temperature of that water out there on Lake Okoboji...55 degrees!

To protect me from the chill, I'm wearing a wet suit underneath my clothes.

We're using an old white four door station wagon for our vehicle.

It's guts have been pulled out to not pollute the lake, meaning the car will fill with water fast.

No transmission, no exhaust, no brakes.

Arnold's Park-Okoboji Fire Rescue has three divers working on this: two outside the car, one inside the car with me. His name is Jim Hentges: he's experienced and knows the three steps it takes to get out of a sinking car alive."First thing don't panic? OK? Then seat belt then it's kind of a patience deal you want to try and go and you can try to open the door if you want but you won't be able to."

Jim says because of the pressure the water will place on the car, i won't be able to open the door until the lake has climbed half way up the drivers side window.

My deal with Jim and everyone else working on this, was I would not practice anything: I would go into Lake Okoboji just as surprised and scared as anyone facing this situation would be.

Before I did, Gary Owens with the Iowa DNR gave me a warning: the initial shock of going into the lake...could throw my muscles and my breathing out of whack. "What will happen is you'll feel like you're gasping, your breathing will be uncontrolled, your heart may go through some different patterns but it's short lived."

With that, I climbed into the car, locating my emergency air tank, and gave them the green light to push me into the lake.

"OK, here goes the car into the water. My seat belt is off. I have to wait for the water to get a little bit above the window. Once that happens I can open the door and get out but that pressure has to equalize first. Can I go now Jim? I'm pushing and I can't get out. I'm waiting for the pressure to equalize and I can't... I can't get out yet. The door won't open and I can't get out."

At this point I'm getting ready to grab the emergency air tank when the door gives way and I get out.

Turns out there's 14 pounds of water pressure per square inch on that car door.

Immediately the paramedics want to see me. my blood pressure is up but not in a danger zone and my body temperature has fallen five degrees.

They give me the green light to go again: this time to show you how to escape with this, a centerpunch: a spring-loaded device which can shatter glass.

I go in again, stay calm, undo my seat belt and press the centerpunch against the glass: it shatters, and I climb out as water pours into the car.