What To Keep In Your Car In Case Of Emergencies, Bad Weather And For General Safety When Travelling

When I was younger and I had not long passed my driving test, I used to watch my mum and aunty restocking their cars with what they called “winter essentials”. I had never really shown much interest in what these were before until I started noticing on the news that torrential rain and rivers bursting their banks were causing people to abandon their cars at the side of the road or how people were left stranded in heavy snow drifts at the side of the road for hours because of nasty accidents ahead or snow so deep or so heavy they were unable to continue their journeys.

These images stuck with me and made me realise I needed to also prepare my then little car in case of such an emergency. So, I did some research and compiled a list of essentials that everyone should keep in their cars.

What Can I Do to Prepare My Car?

If you live in an area that gets flooded or is known for heavy snow, there are a few things it is essential you keep in your car along with a backpack in case, for any reason, you have to abandon your car at a moment’s notice:

• Bottles of water.

• Food, perhaps consider some protein or snack bars? They are small enough to carry around with you, but as they are high in protein and fibre they tend to be quite filling. so well worth keeping a few in your vehicle for emergencies and have a long shelf life.

• Blankets.

• Handheld battery charger for your car battery.

• Spare battery charger for your phone (I keep mine in my handbag, so it is always to hand for emergencies).

• First Aid kit and pain killers.

• Gel click or air-activate hand warmers, spare gloves and a hat for each person travelling.

• A document with your emergency contact details and that of your next of kin or ICE (in case of emergency) listed in case you are in an accident and unconscious so emergency services know who to contact. ICE should always be listed in your phone anyway in the emergency contact details section as this is the first-place emergency services will look and in heavy rainfall, storms, or heavy snow, the chances of an accident are very much increased, so this information is important. The document should be kept in the glovebox of your car.

• A spare coat and a pair of shoes idea for the weather such as wellies or snow boots and spare socks.

• A folding shovel and ice scraper.

• Emergency roadside kit complete with hi-visibility reflective vest.

• If you are travelling on a long journey in bad weather, a flask of very hot tea/coffee or a flask of hot soup and something solid to eat like sandwiches, crackers, tortilla chips etc and some chocolate bars for energy if it is very cold snowy weather.

• A scarf, plus a spare, as if you have to leave your vehicle for any reason and you are caught in heavy snow or hail, you can put this over your mouth and nose to stop frostbite getting to these delicate areas of skin.

• Shewee funnel and disposable gel bags in case of toilet emergencies.

• It is always handy to have an extra petrol/fuel can in the boot that has been filled in case you are stuck and unable to get to a fuelling station due to bad weather.

• An essential in heavy snowfall and ice, are emergency tyre traction pads that can be placed under the wheels of your car if your car tyres loose traction on the snow and ice and become stuck. These should remain in your car boot for all winter journeys as they can be used in mud and sand also. These small tyre traction pads work well for smaller lighter framed cars. If you have a bigger car such as family car, an estate / SUV, then these larger deeper tyre traction pads are considerably better. If you have a 4x4 vehicle, ensure that you familiarise yourself with the 4 wheel drive function and set this before setting out in bad weather such as snow and ice.

• All-in-one seat belt cutter and window hammer. Again, this should remain in the car and only be used in emergencies, but this device can save your life in a weather-related accident.

• Reinflation foam in case of a tyre puncture while driving as not all cars have spare tyres.

This car trunk organiser comes in particularly handy when storing some, if not most, of the above items, as the size of it can be altered depending on your needs. It also has several external pockets which are very useful, especially if you are travelling with children.

Travelling With Young Children and Babies

If you are travelling with children, particularly a baby or toddler, then keep an additional bag or box in the boot of your car with spare nappies, baby wipes, change of clothing, spare warm coats, snow suits, booties/shoes, several hats and pairs of mittens/gloves, extra powdered milk and warm water for bottles, pouches of food that can be spoon fed while on the move, any toys and teddies/rattles/teethers they need etc.

Also, remember that toddlers and slightly older children need to be kept occupied if you are stuck for a long time in the car in bad weather, so aside from keeping them warm, hydrated and safe, you will likely also need to keep them entertained. Why not try this 2 pack LCD doddle scribble writing tablet, a travel activity case complete with activity books, the kids car seat activity tray and the robot car seat activity tray?

To make locating these items easier, where you see text in blue, this is a hyperlink to where this item can be found online to purchase. Obviously I hope you never have to use these items as nobody wants a car or weather related emergency, it is better to be prepared in case such an emergency happens and be safe. As always, if you enjoy the blogs I post, please keep posted for the next one and if there is anything specific you wish me to write a blog post about, please send me a quick email xx

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