The winter season can be difficult, especially if you live in an area with regular snowfall or blizzards. When winter storms hit, you want to be prepared for any situation that may occur on your drive home from work. By being prepared beforehand, and having an Emergency Car Kit for Snowstorms, you can significantly reduce the amount of stress you’ll experience during and after a snowstorm. The number one thing to consider when preparing an emergency car kit is your vehicle’s fuel efficiency during bad weather conditions. Make sure you have an emergency kit somewhere in your car at all times to ensure you stay safe and warm until help arrives!
Things You Should Keep in Your Car
It’s crucial to prepare yourself for the unexpected and ensure you have what you need in your car. Here are some suggestions to help get you started to prepare for Emergency Car Kit for Snowstorms.
- Flares or LED lights can be seen from afar, even at night, and it is important to have them if you ever become stuck on the road.
- Emergency blankets are thin but will keep you warm and can also be used as a ground cover if necessary.
- A heavy blanket. Having one of these will ensure you stay warm while waiting for help.
- Flashlight or headlamp (headlamps are preferable because they allow both hands-frees). You never know when there may be a power outage, so it’s important to have one in case of emergencies.
- These should be items such as canned fruit, granola bars, chips, and crackers. You can even do a cup of noodles if you have a portable warmer to heat water. Jarred baby food, formula, and portable bottle warmer for baby.
- A small cordless heater.
- Hand warmers.
- Extra hats, ear muffs, and gloves. Especially in the case of having additional passengers with you.
- Ergobaby sleep sack to keep baby extra warm.
What to Do When a Storm Hits?
If you’re stuck in your car during a storm, there are some important things to do to help keep yourself safe. First and foremost, stay inside your vehicle. It’s safer than trying to walk along a snow-covered road or highway during a storm. Check on any passengers who may be with you and make sure they’re doing alright too. If it’s safe to do so, turn on your emergency lights, but don’t use high beams because they could temporarily blind other drivers. Keep blankets handy in case you need them, and make sure everyone has something like gloves, hats, or scarves that will protect their heads and ears from the cold.
What if Your Car Break Down?
If you break down on the side of the road, there are a few important things to do. First and foremost, don’t panic. If possible, pull your car off the road and call emergency roadside assistance or AAA. If you can’t get to a safe spot and it’s snowing heavily outside, put on your hazard lights and wait inside your car with the doors locked until help arrives. Once they come, they’ll either move your car or tow it away as necessary.
How to Protect Yourself on Foot?
The best way to protect yourself on foot is to be prepared. Wear shoes that provide good traction and have a sturdy sole. Make sure your clothes are not too tight and that they are made of a material that will keep you warm and dry quickly. A rope belt from ltbelts.com can keep your pants dry while you tread through the snow while keep you comfortable as you get your steps in. Keep extra layers in your cars, such as hats, gloves, scarves, and blankets.
If you plan to be outside for more than thirty minutes during a storm, wear sunscreen and apply lip balm with SPF 15 or higher before heading out the door. It’s also helpful to bring some snacks along if you plan on walking or driving more than five minutes away from home. Lastly, make sure there is enough gas in your car so it will start up in the event of an emergency situation.
Having a well-stocked emergency car kit is not only important during snow storms, but it will also be helpful in other emergencies such as flooding, hurricanes, and earthquakes. It’s recommended to have a spare tire, jumper cables, flares or reflective triangles, bags of sand or cat litter to help with traction on slippery surfaces, blankets, and jackets to stay warm if stranded outdoors for hours in bad weather, an ice scraper and de-icer fluid to keep windows from fogging up and becoming iced over.
Senior Writer, has been with Rottenpanda.com since 2017. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Nick specializes in finding interesting topics, gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Nick loves traveling, pets and happily married to Lucy.
