Exactly – you don’t know when you need to be prepared next. It’s late at night and you’re driving on a dark, lonely road. Suddenly, the steering wheel tugs in your hands and the car is hard to control. You ease the car to the side of the road and stop. Getting out, you see that the left rear tyre is going flat and you don’t have a spare.
If you have roadside assistance and a cell phone signal, you can call for help. If not, you’re either faced with having to hail a passing motorist or spending a night in the boonies. That is, unless you have a well-stocked emergency roadside kit in the trunk of your car. Then you can set out flares to alert other drivers while you inflate the tire with a can of sealant to get you to safety. If these steps fail, at least you’ll have food, water and a blanket to keep you comfortable until help arrives.
So, act now, and gather essentials for your vehicle emergency kit. Don’t drive away from home without the following:
A basic roadside emergency kit should include some of the following items:
- Jumper cables. Or you can carry a small, portable, lithium-ion battery with jumper cables
- Flares or triangle reflectors
- A litre or more of motor oil
- First-aid kit with bandages, plasters, scissors and medications
- Blanket or space blanket
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Tool kit with screwdrivers, pliers, adjustable wrench, pocket knife
- Tire pressure gauge
- Paper towels
- Spray bottle with washer fluid
- Pen and paper
- Granola or energy bars
- Bottled water