Importance of Emergency Car Survival Kit

A sideway emergency can happen at any time; no matter you are driving an old car or a new one. Any problem can screw your mind including from running out of fuel to mechanical breakdown. You may have an automobile club membership or roadside assistance, but you need to contact them and may wait there for an hour or more before their arrival. Therefore, it is important to prepare and carry an emergency car kit for such unfortunate happenings, even if you are driving it around the town or using for it daily purposes. This kit reduces stress, provides safety and helps you to get over from troubles. If you are going on long trip and have to deal with extreme weather conditions, it is recommended to carry your basic car survival kit with additional items that include basic tools, CB radio, water and nonperishable emergency food; coolant hose repair tape and kit, GPRS navigation system, extra clothes and small tarpaulin and some winter driving items. The additional items for winter driving are windshield scraper, blanket and winter hat, tire chains and tow strap, small folding shovel, bag of cat litter and small folding shovel. The periodic checks are essential to ensure that all equipments and tools are functional such as spare tires, first aid tools, batteries, cell phone, fresh food and water. You can easily prepare a basic car emergency kit by collecting them in a bag. The basic car emergency kit helps to deal with simple challenges that should include: A Mobile Phone: In an emergency, mobile phone could be the most worthy tool of kit that enables you to connect for emergency aid. Make sure that your car charger is handy and can be plugged into a cigarette lighter or any other power point in the car to charge the mobile's battery. It is suggested to leave your mobile phone on while traveling. First-aid Kit: The first-aid kit should have all the essential things to treat various problems like small burns, cuts, bandaging etc. It is important to learn the importance and usage of kit before you need it. Fire Extinguisher: If your car got fire, then immediately get away from it as fast as you can. A simple wiring short circuit or oil leaking may cause fire. The fire extinguisher can be used to extinguish small flames. The multipurpose dry chemical fire extinguishers are available in different sizes, but the compact one with label of 2A10BC or 1A10BC is highly recommended. Warning Light, Flares and Hazard Triangle: If your car get stuck in a road pit or on its side, it is important to give warning of your presence to other vehicle drivers, especially in dark. The battery powered warning light or reflective hazard triangles and flares can be placed at some distance from the car. Tire Gauge: Make sure that the spare tire is properly inflated. The spare tire and all four tires of car should be checked on monthly basis as the ambient temperature may affect their pressure. It is advised to check the pressure after a drastic temperature change. Jack and Lug Wrench: Most of the cars come with tire changing tools and equipments. The vehicle's manual helps you to understand their mechanism, where they are placed in the vehicle and how to operate them. The cars with run-flat tires don't come with a spare tire and can be driven to a limited distance with no or less air in them. The side walls of these tires are very stiff and provide support when the tire gets deflated. The spare fuses, flashlight, auto-club card, roadside assistance number, form tire sealant, plug kit, a portable compressor, disposable flash camera, jumper cables, portable battery booster, hand cleaner, gloves, clean rags, pen, paper and some extra bucks are other essential items to carry in an emergency car kit.