Patent ID: 7287482

Claim:
An emergency flotation device for maintaining a vehicle at a buoyant state in a body of water, said emergency flotation device comprising: a plurality of water-proof housings directly secured to a selected portion of the vehicle such that said housing is mounted medially between a plurality of tires of the vehicle; a plurality of selectively inflatable flotation bags operably coupled directly to said housing, said flotation bags being deployable downwardly and outwardly wherein lateral portions of said flotation bags wrap beneath and around the tires such that a bottom half of the tires are completely encapsulated by said flotation bags respectively; pneumatic means for automatically inflating and deflating said flotation bags, said pneumatic means being disposed within said housing and spaced from the tires; and means for sensing a water level directly engaged with the tires, said water level sensing means being operably connected to said pneumatic means for instructing said pneumatic means to inflate and deflate the flotation bags during emergency situations.