The Vehicle Emergency Kit

How much time do you spend in your car every day? You go to and from work, take your kids to school, or even go on road trips. The average person spends 600 hours a year in their vehicle, that’s 25 days! For most of us our car is a lifeline for our day to day business, and that can be the case during an emergency too. Due to the amount of time we spend in our vehicles, it is almost inevitable that we will eventually find ourselves in a hairy situation.  We can’t prepare for every eventuality but we can prepare for what we think is most likely. 

We never know when Mother Nature could decide to be grumpy, or when our car decides to stop working.  Imagine you are driving cross country and are on a straight road that’s been going on forever in the middle of the desert. Then your car just stops. This is not a time to be wishing that you had water stored, because it is far too late. How about if you live up north and get stuck in a blizzard? There are numerous accounts of people getting stuck in their vehicle during storms, and perishing because they didn’t have any supplies.  We can’t always rely on being able to call for help, or for help to even be able to reach us.

So the best thing to do is plan for the worst. That brings us to what to put in your vehicle emergency kit. As with any survival kit you have a few options here. First there are a lot of premade car kits out there that you can buy online or even from a local department store. Quality premade kits are usually pretty pricey, and may not have everything you want in them. It’s an easy solution for someone who doesn’t want to put too much thought into a kit and just throw it in their car.  Second is of course making your own. This is the preferred method, because you can adapt it specifically for your needs and weather conditions. You will be able to get higher quality items in it for cheaper as well. 

So if you decide you want to make your own kit, you first need to think about what situations you may find yourself in. initially Problems can begin with the car, or with the weather, but usually it ends up with you being stranded with your vehicle somewhere.  So we will have two parts to this kit, Tools to try and remedy the situation and get you on your way, or stuff to help you weather the storm if you are stuck with no chance of getting out.

With cars the most common problem is that they are not always reliable. They break down all the time and if you do break down it can’t hurt to have some tools to do some simple fixes. The goal is to fix your car just enough that it can make its way to a garage where it can be more thoroughly fixed.  Some of these things you may already have in your vehicle.  

-          Jumper cables                                 -WD40 and duct tape

-          Tire wrench with jack                    -adjustable wrench

-          Reflective cones, or flares              -Muliti head screwdriver

-          Tow rope or chains                         -Pliers

-          A flashlight                                     -Work gloves

-          Hammer                                          -Tire puncture repair kit

With these tools you will be able to make just about any small fix.  Just make sure that what you already have is of quality construction. Usually the tire wrenches and jacks that come in vehicles are very small and don’t work well. You may want to think about replacing those with something sturdier. There is nothing more frustrating than having the tools to fix something, but having them be sub-par or even fail during use.  There are some other items that could help you get out of trouble in bad weather as well. For example some sand, salt, and a snow shovel could help you get your car unstuck in a blizzard. 

The second part of this kit is if you are stuck where you are, with no chance of immediate help or escape. Things like the radio, can keep you informed on what’s going on, and the book or cards can help you pass the time. Sitting in a car waiting for help or for the storm to pass can be maddening if you don’t have something to take your mind off of it.  Again, it’s important to include items that are specific to your situation because not everyone has to deal with blizzards, or earthquakes. 

-          Food                                  - A bucket

-          Water                                 - Extra pair of clothes

-          A blanket or two               - Emergency radio

-          A tarp                                - A good book, and deck of cards

-          Hand warmers                   - First aid kit

The last thing you need is something good to store all this stuff in; a big plastic Tupperware box is always good, or maybe a 5 gallon bucket with lid. The only downside to a kit like this is that if you have a small vehicle it can take up a lot of space. You may have to take out some items to adjust its size for your vehicle.  Just be careful though, because it is of course always better to have and not need than need and not have.