Stay Prepared on the Road with a Winter Safety Kit

No one knows when a roadside emergency may occur, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared for them. By acting proactively, you can be well prepared should an emergency arise.

While the winter weather here in Florida may be mild, many of us find ourselves traveling north through inclement weather during this season. Including a winter emergency kit in your vehicle is a great way to stay prepared when you are traveling through such conditions.

Store Your Kit in Your Car

For winter emergencies, you may want to stock food and supplies in your home, but that will do you very little good when you’re in your car. That’s why if you live or travel into wintery areas, you need to keep your kit in the car.

Also, keep track of weather and driving conditions before you leave. Inclement winter weather can come on you quickly, so you want to be as informed as possible before you travel.

Putting Your Kit Together

If you purchase a ready-made kit, make sure you know where everything is. Being familiar with your kit on a dark wintery road is much easier than fumbling through a kit you aren’t familiar with.

If you are building your own kit, here are some things you need to include:

• Blankets or sleeping bags to help you stay warm.
• Flashlights that have rechargeable batteries or that can be powered by another power source.
• A complete first aid kit.
• A utility knife (make sure the blade is in good shape).
• Nonperishable food as well as fresh water. Ideally you want the food to be high in calories.
• A small shovel with sand or cat litter for digging your car out of the snow and to offer your tires needed traction.
• As GPS can be spotty in these situations, a compass and current road maps can be helpful.
• Extra sets of heavy winter clothing, especially gloves and winter hats.
• A tool kit for your car. Standard tools are acceptable; make sure to include a strong rope or a chain, jumper cables and an ice scraper.

Additional Tips

Keep your gas tank as full as possible. This will prevent fuel lines from freezing. In addition, tell someone where you’re headed and instruct them to call the authorities if you don’t check in with them along the way and when you reach your destination. Lastly, make sure your vehicle has the properly rated winter tires for traveling in wintery weather.

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Have you recently been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident in our area? Contact Abrahamson & Uiterwyk at 1-800-538-4878 for a free initial consultation.