General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Woman Distracted by Texting Drives Her Car Into a Lake [View all]Mugu
(2,888 posts)and I have to explain/demonstrate to most people younger than 50 (and some older) how to operate them. They have never seen manual windows before. So, I'm guessing that in an emergency, manual override wouldn't make much difference.
Given your comments, I'm guessing that you think electric windows won't operate under water. However, at only 12 volts, I can assure you that even salt water has more than enough resistance for electric windows to operate just fine.
As long as the battery doesn't become unconnected from the system, electric windows will continue to work whether submerged or not. If the car is so badly damaged that the electrical system is no longer functional it's probably so badly damaged/bent that manual windows would be difficult (if not impossible) to operate.