Safety Check: 9 Things to Always Keep in Your Car

If you’re a smart driver, you’ll keep a nice little safety pack in your car with you no matter where you go so no matter the emergency, you’ll always be as prepared as possible. No one ever sets out on a journey expecting to break down, have a burst tyre or some other kind of accident or emergency but that doesn’t mean that you can’t try your best to prepare for something happening and if you agree, here are 9 things that you should always keep in your car just in case you find yourself stuck in a somewhat sticky situation. All Year-Round Essentials:

1. Hazard Triangle

Have you broken down or had an accident? This is something you need if you’re in a situation where you must alert other road users that you’ve broken down.

2. Breakdown Service & Insurance Company Contact Details

If you’re a member of a breakdown recovery service, it’s more than likely that they will have supplied you with a plastic card containing all of the essential information that you need in case of a breakdown so it’d be handy to have that on you. Also, it’s worth having the details of your car insurance with you, just in case.

3. Replacement Parts and Spares

It’d be worth your while to include some bulbs and fuses in this section. Oftentimes, your safety depends on visibility so for on-the-road repairs having a spare bulb and fuse or two would be useful. Having a spare tyre and a jack would also be handy to have. Some modern cars don’t come with a spare tyre so if this is you, it may be worth looking at A. buying a spare one anyway B. buying some tyre sealant foam or C. fitting run flat tyres to your car as they would enable you to travel a little further to try and find a garage to get any repairs looked at that you may need.

4. A First Aid Kit

This one is pretty self-explanatory. It should contain the basics for patching someone up in an emergency where you can’t immediately get to a hospital.

5. Loose Change

This is always handy to have hidden away in your car just in case you come across an unexpected toll or need to pay for car parking.

6. Food & Water

This is always good to have in case of an emergency. Keep your water in sealed bottles in order to keep it fresh and it’s also handy to have just in case you need to top up the radiator or your windscreen washer bottle. Good food items to keep in your car are things like crisps and cereal bars, things that won’t perish easily and are good to keep your energy up if you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere waiting for a recovery van to come and get you. Winter Essentials:

7. Warm & Waterproof Clothes

These will be vital for the winter months. If you’re stranded in a snow storm and your car has no heating, you’ll want to have a nice thick hoody and some joggers to slide into to keep you warm. It’s advisable to have a brolly and some waterproofs if you find that you have to wait outside your car for whatever reason.

8. Torch

Whatever you do, don’t just rely on the torch on your smartphone to cover you on this one. For starters, what if your battery on your phone is dead? Then you’re a little stuck. Carrying a good quality torch with you could prove to be handy in a number of different ways, especially if it’s a nice big bright one. One not to Carry With You:

9. Spare Fuel

This one is a bit unnecessary to carry in your car as it adds an extra risk of fire in case of a crash or an accident. However, a good alternative to carry is an empty jerry can but you’ll have to be prepared to wander to the nearest petrol station which could be miles away but at least it means you’ll get petrol.