Packing an Emergency Safety Kit for Your Car

By B. Dear

If you drive long distances to work or are planning a trip, it's a good idea to pack an emergency safety kit, so that you are prepared if anything goes wrong. In the winter months, driving can get downright dangerous with snow and ice. To ensure that you and your family stay safe, you should keep the following emergency kit supplies in the trunk of your car so that you can be prepared for the worst possible situation.

Emergency Kit List:

• Have enough warm blankets to cover up the entire family. That way if there is an engine problem, and the car breaks down, you can keep everyone warm by sharing body heat. Have everyone sit together in the backseat underneath the blankets to share body heat.

• Choosing the right emergency kit food is important to ensure that the food in the car is still good when you need it. Keep some canned or non-perishable food items in a box in case you are stranded for an extended period of time. This emergency kit food will make sure that no one goes hungry while waiting for help to arrive. Be sure to include a can opener.

• Keep a few gallon jugs of clean water. These will provide drinking water or a means to wash wounds if you get into a serious car accident in the middle of nowhere. 

• A first aid kit will enable you to treat any injuries that may occur in an accident.

• A battery or crank powered radio will give you something to listen to while you are waiting for help and keep you informed with valuable information. If you use a battery powered radio, remember to have lots of new batteries on hand as well.

• Air Compressor: A small air compressor will allow you to pump up a tire enough to drive the car a bit further to make it to the nearest gas station.

• A can of "Fix-a-flat" just might seal a hole in a tire and allow you to drive a bit further. A can of this is an is now included in most commercial roadside safety kits. Just attach the can to the inflation nozzle and it will shoot air and hole sealing gunk into the tire.

• A car battery charger will charge your battery enough to turn the engine over if the battery goes dead. 

• Keep some jumper cables to jump your car battery or to help someone else charge theirs. These are standard roadside emergency kit gear and available in most auto parts and retail stores.

• Adjustable wrenches, a socket set, a tire iron and a jack will allow you to make low level repairs if you have to.

• Make sure that you car has a spare tire or at least a "Donut".

• Keep a box of luminescent light sticks or a flashlight in your travel safety kit to supply safe, bright light for when you need to make repairs.

• Flares will help other cars see that you are having trouble. They will also enable you to make a fire or help rescuers find you.  

• A whistle will help searchers find you.

• Maps of the area that you will be traveling will allow you to locate areas where you might be able to go to seek help. 

• A fire extinguisher will allow you to put out engine fires before they get bad.