7 Things You Must Keep in Your Car – Learn From Stranded Drivers on Freezing Interstate Highways For 21-48 Hours

Recently, winter storms left drivers stranded on interstate highways in their cars— sometimes without food or water—for up to 48 hours. What can you do to prepare for such an emergency?

One hour of fair-weather shopping can spare you hours of misery if you found yourself stuck in your car during flooding or snowstorms. Furthermore, what may cost a few dollars at a gas station or general store could save hundreds in towing fees or thousands in hospital bills.

Make yourself a car emergency kit, and you may want to keep it in a canvass bag, or plastic storage container to allow for easy transfer between vehicles.

The 7 basics

1. Water bottles, gallons of them
2. Non-perishable high energy foods (nuts, granola, sardines, beef jerky, power bars, etc.)
3. Battery-powered flashlight (with extra batteries) and a car phone charger
4. Jumper cables (if your car battery dies)
5. Ice scraper (to clear the windows before the traffic gets moving again)
6. Personal hygiene products
7. Blankets and warm clothing, like extra socks, hats, hand warmers—also a candle and matches to provide heat if gas is low

These items will prepare you for normal conditions as well, especially if we accidentally leave the lights in our car on, and the battery dies (and you are grateful for the jumper cables).

Water is not only great to have in case you need to quench your thirst. A gallon can save your car from overheating in case something goes wrong with the coolant.

Paper towels, period products, diapers, soap, and bags to stow trash can be important for several reasons. Soap not only allows one to stay germ-free, but scrubbing long enough will remove gasoline if it gets on your hands.

Interested in learning more ways to keep stay prepared for an emergency? You can find Andy Crobley's complete article here.