Some of the most tragic stories of vacations gone wrong are often those where a person or family experiences a situation where they are lost or stranded in their automobiles. While the risk of life and death situations are far more common with winter driving trips, no matter the season families can suffer great peril when traveling by car. The truth is that most of the tragic stories we hear on the evening news may have been avoided had families considered and prepared for the worst possible situations they might face along their journeys.
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When we jump in the car and start a trip be it a few hundred miles or thousands, it’s easy in our modern world to forget that there is more undeveloped land then there are sprawling cities. In some parts of the country, it can take less then a half hour to drive into desolate and unpopulated areas, where even some of our most basic connections to civilization don’t work. Cell phones are wonderful, if you are stranded somewhere that receives a cell signal. However, many of us like to get away from civilization and forget what this actually means. Our dependence on modern technology is often overlooked when we head out the door for an adventure.
The single most important thing families can do when they go on a trip in a car is be sure they have an Emergency kit. When loading the car for a long trip it’s easy to want to toss out some of the basics and make room for the extra supplies we want when we arrive at our destination, but it is foolish to assume every trip we make will always go the way we planned.
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A Well Stocked Car Emergency Kit in your family car can help to save your life and make you more comfortable during breakdowns, accidents and long waits. The kit should include:
- Battery jumper cables, and/or a portable battery jumper.
- Well-stocked and complete First aid kit.
- Shovel (We have a fold up shovel Scouts and hikers use)
- Basic tools, such as pliers, wrench, screwdriver and knife. I keep a Leatherman’s tool in my glove box.
- Blankets, even in warm weather blankets are important, as an injured person or someone who may be suffering from shock typically needs to be covered with something.
- Extra clothing, hats, socks, boots, mittens and I always keep my old sneakers under the driver seat.
- Flashlight.
- Bag of sand, or an old piece of carpet for traction.
- Cellular phone or CB Radio. Modern cell phones are equipped with a GPS device that can be tracked even when the cell phone is off or calls can’t be made. Several people have been located in the wilderness due to cell phones and the signal they emit even when they cannot be used for making phone calls.
- Flairs can be used if a car breaks down on the side of the road to avoid an auto collision, and they can be used if a family is stranded off road to help searches see them at night.
- Matches to light the flairs or start a fire. Most new cars no longer come with lighters and most people don’t know how to start a fire without matches. In fire danger, seasons however be careful as your signal may cause a great forest fire during these times of the year it’s best to depend on Reflective Devices.
- Reflective Devices, if worse comes to worse you can break off the rear-view or side mirrors and use them as a reflective device to gain attention of helicopters or flash toward any civilization. Some of the windshield sun guards have reflective material that looks like foil, which might be handy and will attract attention.
- Noise Makers, a plastic whistle (metal ones may burn lips in heat, or freeze lips in cold.) is better then nothing. We keep one of those Air Horns people like to use to cheer on their home teams.
- Water, for drinking if you should become stranded, and to put in the radiator in the event you overheat the car.
- Paper and a Sharpie, to leave notes in your auto if you choose to try to walk out, or to leave notes along the trail.
- Identification and Insurance Information, When we travel we photo copy out ID and write our main contact persons information on the paper. We write our children’s names and our information down and everyone in our family has this information inside of our shoes or on our person when at all possible.
It is always better to plan for the worst, most people who are rescued or die in a tragic traveling situation never thought it would or could happen to them. While we might lead our whole lives never needing to be found, or in a life threatening situation it only takes once to wish we were ready.
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Blogs Related to Safe Car Travel:
- Traveling By Car: A Life and Death Decision
- Five Tips For Driving on Icy, Slippery or Snow Covered Roads
- Start The Engine! Auto Travel and The Winter Car Trip.
- Summer Road Trip Auto Safety Check
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