What Do You Need in your Emergency Road Kit?
As the old saying goes, it’s better to have something and not need it than not have something and need it. The same is true when traveling along the open road. No one likes to think about the emergencies that can pop up while driving, but it’s imperative to be prepared for anything. In order to ensure you’re ready for whatever emergency situation that may rear its ugly head, we’ve prepared a list of what you need in your emergency road kit.
[READ MORE: The First Things To Do If You’re In An Accident ]
Emergency Road Kit Items
Emergency situations will vary greatly depending on your location. But like we said, it’s always best to be prepared for anything. Just because you live in the south doesn’t mean you won’t run into a snowstorm. The same goes for the north and extreme heat. Our comprehensive list of recommended emergency road kit items includes: roadside flares, a first-aid kit, gloves, jumper cables, fuses, a blanket, a flashlight, batteries, both types of screwdriver, vise grips, an adjustable wrench, pliers, a tire inflator and pressure gauge, rags, a funnel, duct tape, paper towels, an ice scrapper, a small shovel, triangle reflectors, a pocket knife, bottled water, nonperishable food like granola bars, and extra oil, antifreeze and brake fluid.
Be Prepared
Just like with other emergency situations, practice makes perfect. It’s best to make sure you’re familiar with, and know how to use, everything in your emergency kit. Going through and familiarizing yourself with everything in the kit will ensure it all works properly. It also helps with making sure you don’t find yourself in an emergency only to realize you don’t know how to use the one thing that can help. It also helps to bring your car in for regular maintenance.
Other Precautions
Time can seem to speed up during an emergency. Things happen so quickly that your head may begin to spin and you won’t know where to start. First and foremost, move your car as far off the road as you can before beginning to take any emergency measures. Make sure you’re standing far enough off the road when checking things out, too. If it’s dark, make sure you and your car are visible.
No one wants to end up having to use their emergency road kit. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to have one that’s fully stocked, and that you know how to use. If you have any questions about how to prepare yourself, just let us know and we’ll do what we can to help. And if you have the kit but not the car, check out our expansive selection of quality used cars.