What Should Be In A Car Emergency Kit?
Even after ensuring that your vehicle is set and in perfect condition, it is inevitable not to experience a car emergency like having a flat tire or experiencing severe weather on long trips. This is why every vehicle needs a car emergency kit safely kept in the trunk at all times, as you cannot predict when an emergency situation would arise, or the exact emergency supplies you would need at the time.
An emergency car kit should contain the necessary items needed to safely take care of a roadside emergency, no matter what. An emergency car kit should be adequately packed with essential items and basic tools for personal welfare and the care and repair of the vehicle.
Car Emergency Kit Checklist
Below is a list of important items needed to handle any kind of car emergency. You should check your car emergency kit at least every six months to see that it is up to date, discard expired items and replace them accordingly.
First Aid Kit
A car emergency kit must have a complete, adequate, well-furnished first aid kit. Consider this the most important item in your roadside emergency kit. According to www.redcross.org, your first aid kit should contain an emergency blanket for warmth during cold weather and absorbent compress dressings to dress minor injuries and prevent contamination or infection.
A great kit should also contain adhesive bandages of different sizes, adhesive cloth tapes, antibiotic ointment packs, hydrocortisone ointment, antiseptic wipes, packets of aspirin, a breathing barrier with a one-way valve, instant cold compress, non-latex gloves, three inches gauze roll bandage and sterile gauze pads (3×3 and 4×4 in.), four inches roller bandage, oral thermometer, triangular bandages, tweezers, and emergency first aid guide.
Tool Kit
The second most important group of essential items are the tools required to fix your car. The life hammer is one. This tool could serve as a window breaker and seatbelt cutter when you have no choice but to break your car’s glass or cut the seatbelt. This can be extremely difficult to do without a life hammer.
The tow strap (or tow rope) for towing the car to the nearest workshop if your car breaks down, jumper cables to jump-start your car if the car battery runs down, especially in freezing temperatures, duct tape, scissors, etc. Simple duct tape can be a lifesaver when joining two wires is all that is needed to fix the situation.
Your tool kit should also contain a tire inflator to inflate a flat tire and a tire pressure gauge to maintain normal pressure in your spare tire.
Consider including: a flashlight, extra batteries, wheel clamp, fire extinguisher, spare tire(s), tire gauge, work gloves, and paper towels.
Cold Weather or Winter Car Kit
Emergency kits for a road trip during winter should contain: a snow brush, ice scraper, foldable shovel, hand warmers, blankets, rain poncho, traction aid for the car wheels, jumper cables, etc.
Food
A roadside emergency kit should contain emergency food like dried nuts, granola bars, hard candy, dried fruits, etc., which are high in energy and last long. Sometimes you might have to stay overnight on the road due to emergencies.
Other Car Emergency Kit Essentials
These include emergency warning devices used to warn oncoming traffic of a car accident or traffic ahead. Examples include road flares, emergency flashers, reflective triangles, and reflective vests.
Road flares are types of pyrotechnics that give out a bright light and intense heat without an explosion. It is often used as a distress signaling tool to solicit roadside assistance from other drivers.
Flashers, reflective triangles, and flares serve a similar purpose. It is advisable to have all of them handy in case something goes wrong and one or two of them malfunction.
Roadside Emergency Tips
Here are a few tips to help when experiencing car emergencies, whether you have a dead battery or your gas tank has hit E with no gas stations around.
Move Your Car To The Safe Side of The Road
If you can move your vehicle, get it out of the road as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary traffic for other motorists.
Seek Emergency Help
Your roadside emergency kit should contain items like flares, hazard triangles, etc. Use these as signaling tools to request help from others. If it happens to be a serious emergency, place a cell phone call to 911. You can also reach out for roadside emergency assistance.
Be Careful Of Accepting Help From Strangers
Strangers are not always harmful or dangerous, so as much as you’re being careful, it is important to exercise good judgment. Generally, it is preferable to seek help from professionals, a trusted friend, or a family member.
The Most Common Road Emergencies
The top four most common road emergencies are flat tires, dead car batteries, overheated engines, and running out of gas.
Knowing the most common road emergencies helps you prepare. You should learn how to replace flat tires with a spare tire by yourself with your jack and wrench, jump-start your vehicle with some jumper cables and another running car, and so on.
What Is Roadside Assistance And What Does It Cover?
Roadside Assistance refers to a set of services that you can request when you’re having trouble with your vehicle. These services can be used anywhere, including at home, at work, in a parking lot, and on the side of the road. These services cover emergency assistance such as jump-starting a dead battery, changing a flat tire, towing your vehicle to a nearby repair shop, delivering emergency fuel, recovering your keys, and so on.
Conclusion
It’s much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to emergencies. Using the tips and tools listed in this article can help when an unexpected emergency shows up unexpectedly.
