Your Car Emergency Kit

According to the World Health Organisation, cars are responsible for more preventable deaths than suicide, HIV/AIDS and even homicide. Motorists in low and middle-income societies are most at risk of dying in a vehicle accident, with countries in Africa reaching the top of this list.

Despite your car’s homicidal tendencies, we spend hours rolling through the motoring environment. Our faithful cars take us around the corner for a much-needed caffeine fix, they get our kids to school and take us on long-planned holidays. Each route has its own risk profile. A life-threatening event could be around the corner or hundreds of miles from home. We believe that fortune favors the prepared, so let’s prepare your car for an emergency.

Emergency Items to Keep In Your Car

Before we get started at what you need, let’s consider two important principles:

1. Pack your car emergency kit so that it doesn’t move: If you have ever been in a vehicle accident, you will know that when it happens, it’s chaotic and violent. Your seatbelt keeps you attached to the car, but anything that is not attached to the car, coffee cups, cell phones, and even bodies are subject to the laws of kinetic energy. When the vehicle comes to a stop, everything loose is everywhere, and this is when you are going to need your roadside rescue kit. The first principle is, therefore, pack it so that it won’t move.
2. Always pack your kit in the same place: When the emergency takes place, your emotional brain may be running the show. Higher brain functions like memory may not be accessible. Packing your equipment in the same place every time ensures you can find it in a panicked state, in the dark or that you can guide another person to easily find what you need.

Now on with the car and its gear:

Car Emergency Kit List

Vehicle Maintenance is Key

Executive protection specialists will go through a daily routine of checking that the car is in working order, they know that breaking down in a secluded or dodgy area is one of the quickest ways to expose their clients to risk. This comes down to regular services, checking tires (including the spare), lights and indicators, oil, water, brake fluid, and anti-freeze levels. Lastly, don’t let that gas tank run down to empty. There’s nothing worse than rushing to an emergency when you need to stop and fill up.

Check Your Standard Emergency Equipment

Check your standard emergency equipment: Before we get on with the fancy stuff, check that your spare tire is inflated, you have your jack and wheel wrench, emergency triangle and jumper cables.

Stash Some Cash

In this day of credit cards and payment apps, we have been steered towards a cashless society. Your credit card may get you reward points, but in an emergency, cash is king! Cash buys you help from roadside strangers, it doesn’t need a network or a card machine. This is an especially useful tip when traveling through the third world where banking systems may not be working or you may need to pay an “on the spot traffic fine” to a law enforcement official.

Pack a Good Quality Flashlight

There will be occasions when you arrive home or even a holiday destination after dark. It’s often a good idea to check the property out before offloading the luggage and kids. Your flashlight should be packed in an accessible place. It should also always be packed in the same place (so that you can skilfully fumble for it in the dark) and it should be put back in the same place every time you are finished using it. Rechargeable flashlights are ideal in this situation.

This is from a blog post on my web site. Continue reading here.