What's in your trunk? Are you prepared for a road-side emergency, should it happen to you? With temperatures hitting consistent sub-zero, and snow sweeping over the Great Lakes, highway and city-driving poses plenty of risk. You are going to need to be prepared for anything. Here are the basics of what you need:
1. Food and Water: Say you've got to dig your car out of the shoulder of the road, or you're stuck for a while waiting for a tow: you'll need energy. You'll need to pack energy bars to give you the boost you need to get a job done, or recover from one. As well, you'll need to keep some water with you in bottles that won't crack in the cold. These are basics.
2. Tools: You or a passenger has suffered injury, or you're trapped in the car, or you need to dig yourself out of a jam, you'll need the following tools: 1) First Aid Kit, 2) seat belt cutters, 3) shovel, 4) multi-tool, e.g. Leatherman Wingman, 5) kitty litter (to add traction to tires to get out of a jam), 6) Candle, 7) wind-up flashlight, 8) battery-powered radio.
3. Jumper cables: This is critical. Click here to learn how to use them.
4. Whistle: You might think it trivial to have--until you're rendered hoarse from calling for help.
5. Road map: Your phone is out of battery and you don't know how to get around a detour. Technology has its limits--having a road map will be a reliable way to get out of a jam.
6. Antifreeze and/or Windshield Wiper Fluid: There are very few things worse than needing to clear your windshield while bombing down the highway and your wiper fluid tank is empty--and you don't have any extra bottles in the vehicle. It's important to have extra windshield wiper fluid in your vehicle.
7. Warning Light and Flares: The second might seem excessive, but you never know until you're in the thick of a catastrophe to know how to use it. Warning lights will keep you in view while stuck on the side of the road.
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