5 Things You Should Always Have in Your Car

It was a snowy morning in Chicago, but I couldn’t have been more excited. Today, I was taking a road trip with my 2 year old niece and my 5 year old nephew. We were driving 250 miles Southwest to visit a family friend in St. Louis.  I called my dad before leaving the city and he told me that I’d be driving in the opposite direction of the pending storm. His exact words were “Don’t worry about it; you will be driving into summer”. Little did I know that I was actually driving toward the worst storm I’d ever encountered!

I had somewhat expected the drive to be laced with patches of fog as I trudged along stretches and stretches of open fields, but the snow continuously fell and my visibility was decreasing. I felt like my car was inside of a snowstorm, just like being inside the eye of a tornado. The fog and snow were so thick I felt doomed for

disaster.  I had another 100 miles to go down interstate 55 and I drove alarmingly close to the exit lane as I saw so many cars and semis that had slid into the median. My hazard lights were blinking and my bright lights blazed into the fog. I was driving less than 20 mph as my nephew sang the dreaded words repeatedly “Are we there yet”.

Suddenly traffic came to a halt.

Being prepared before disaster is always a good idea. However, we are oftentimes never forewarned about emergencies. Even weather can sometimes be unpredictable. There are several things that people should remember when your car breaks down. In addition, there is five items that a person should always try to have ready inside their car for emergencies. 

When I bought my very first car, my dad prepared a package for me that included:

•    a flashlight (with an extra pair of batteries)
•    jumper cables
•    a jack (to change the tire)
•    a spare tire
•    and a blanket

All of these items lived inside my car, awaiting use. I never intended to get stranded on a 22 mile stretch of highway that consisted mainly of fields.

As I watched the wind blow extremely harshly with enough force to move the trailers attached to semis, I gripped the steering wheel of my car tightly hoping to maintain control of my 4 cylinder 2010 Toyota Corolla. Suddenly, I understood the use of each item that I kept stowed away for emergencies. If I was forced to stop, or to turn off the engine, I could keep myself and the kids warm with the blanket.  It was extremely cold outside, and stopping the car for any extended periods of time could also result in the battery draining.  I could use the jumper cables if the car would not restart after having to stop. The flashlight proved helpful, as I used it to calm the kids with a storybook that I read to them.

On that December night, I was one of many cars that were stuck on interstate 55. However, I was lucky enough to be close to an exit and was able to exit the highway after being stuck for approximately 1 and ½ hours.  As I drove toward my destination, I was extremely grateful for the items that I had packed for emergencies.

According to the American Automobile Association administrative headquarter serving the St. Louis metropolitan area the number of calls for assistance as of 2 p.m. that night was 2,100. Thus, having these few major items for emergency situations is a must for every driver. Keep those inside your car whether it is a winter or summer as you never know when you may need them. If you are going on a long vacation though, across the states, you can also consider hiring a car shipping company to transport your car so you don't have to drive. It is an option many people choose as it usually saves money, time and the effort employed of driving long distance. 

Tags: car shipping, winter

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