Roadside Emergency Kits

Roadside Emergency Kits

As we traveled home in the dark last weekend after a short road trip to my brother in law’s graduation, I noticed an SUV on the side of the road with a flat tire. I also noticed a good, strong flashlight beam lighting the tire as the driver was starting to change it. I thought to myself, “I don’t think we have a flashlight in our car right now, and I think we should.” So, I did a little checking around and found that besides a flashlight and extra batteries, a good roadside emergency kit also includes the following:

-jumper cables
-roadside flares or an emergency reflective triangle
-basic tools, including philips and flathead screwdrivers, pliers, vice grips, and an -adjustable wrench
-a tire inflator, such as fix-a-flat
-tire pressure guage
-hand wipes, or at least a roll of paper towels
-pen and paper

Other things you might want to include in your kit:
-gloves
-a rain poncho
-a pocket or utility knife
-an ice scraper
-a bungee cord
-duct tape
-a multipurpose tool, such as a Leatherman

And to be really prepared, add:
-two quarts of oil
-antifreeze
-wiper fluid in a spray bottle
-extra fuses
-an emergency car care guide

Stick all of this in a tool box or a duffle bag, and keep it in your vehicle or your camping trailers, just in case. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use this kit, but should you or someone on the side of the road need it, you’ll be glad you were prepared.

By the way, there are several companies out there that are happy to send you the Emergency Roadside kit they’ve assembled for you! Check out http://www.batterysavers.com/Emergency-Road-side-kit.html

And be careful out there! The last thing you want is to be stuck in bad weather with no emergency gear and no way to contact the people who can help you.