20 Things That You Should Not Even Think to Drive Without

You cannot anticipate and prepare for every emergency that could arise while you are driving, but for driving around town and on the highway, carrying certain items will not only save you an occasional inconvenience but will help to ensure your safety. In an emergency sonic of I hem will be extremely valuable.

Let us begin with the things you normally will have:

1. Keep the Owner’s Manual in the glove compartment where you can get it easily for reference.

2. Be sure you have a spare tire that is inflated. Check the spare tire when you check the air pressure of the other tires. Then when you need the spare it will be ready for use.

3. It goes without saying that you should have your operator’s license and insurance policy information in your wallet or purse. Most states require Ihc auto registration to be with you or in the car.

4. Keep a pocket tire gauge in the glove compartment where it is dry and safe from damage.

5. Buy jumper cables, and be sure to get the large, heavy-duty cables made of copper wire.

6. You should have a flashlight. Keep the flashlight in a handy place where it is easy to find, such as the glove compartment. Flashlight batteries deteriorate whether used or not, so check your flashlight every month or so and replace the batteries when they get weak.

7. A large (about 22 inches) X wrench is useful for changing a tire, particularly if you have very little strength.

8. Every car should carry a fire extinguisher. The cost is small compared to the savings if a fire should start. 

Be sure to get the proper kind when you buy an extinguisher. The so-called “salt-shaker” type, which you shake to put chemicals on the fire, is not good; you can not get close enough to the fire for the extinguisher to be effective. You need an extinguisher that has the UL (Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.) approval.

Buy a portable extinguisher with gauge-about a two-and-one-half-pound, pressurized, dry-chemical, all-purpose extinguisher for class A, B, and C fires. This means it will be effective on fabric fires, such as the upholstery (class A), oil or gasoline fires (class B), and electrical fires (class C). 

If you cannot locate such an extinguisher, another excellent one is similar but is approved only for class B and C fires. The extinguisher can be recharged at low cost by the company selling fire extinguisher equipment. A pressurized dry-chemical extinguisher only needs recharging after use or when the pressure gauge is down.

9. Keep a first-aid kit under the front seat or in the trunk. An approved first-aid kit from your drugstore or safety organization will do. Johnson & Johnson is one of the reputable pharmaceutical companies producing an excellent first-aid emergency kit for autos.

Check your first-aid kit and add any of these things that are not in il: first-aid booklet, sterile gauze pads, roll of bandage cloth, small pair of scissors, burn ointment, merthiolate, sterile cotton, cotton-tipped swabs, adhesive bandages, adhesive tape, ammonia inhalants, package of needles (useful for removing splinters), a snake-bite kit, and syrup of ipecac (one ounce, to induce vomiting in certain kinds of poisoning, available from your druggist without a prescription). 

The commercial first-aid emergency kit I bought for my car contained many useful items but did not have several things I wanted. I removed several duplicate bandages and compresses to make room for the additional things I needed.

There is no need to dwell on the value of a first-aid kit in your car. Drivers who drive to the beach or to the woods for camping, pic-nicking, hunting, fishing, and hiking will have occasion to use the first-aid kit. Accidents occur every day on the road; and practically every driver will either be involved in an accident, or be on the scene of an accident at some time.

10. In addition to a flashlight, it is useful to have a heavy-duty spotlight with a red flasher attached. The spotlight is much brighter than a flashlight and has many uses on the road. If you have a flat tire or other emergency, put the spotlight on the road by your car and use the red flasher to warn other drivers. Flares are also useful for shunting oncoming traffic away from a stopped car.

11. It is useful to have two wheel blocks when changing a wheel with a flat tire to chock up the opposing tires, though you can always use two rocks. Blocks 4×4x8 inches are adequate, and you can either buy or make them.

12. A pressurized can to inflate a flat tire is handy. Sometimes a tire with a slow leak will go down overnight. This can will give the tire enough pressure so you can drive to a service station to get the trouble
repaired. Thus the pressurized can saves you from having to call a service truck or put on the spare yourself. Cans are available at auto parts stores.

13. You should always have an extra quart of oil of the brand and grade you normally use.

14. Carry a plastic gallon container of coolant. A plastic milk container is satisfactory to carry the liquid, which can prevent your being stranded if the car’s engine overheats because of too little coolant.

15. Keep spare fuses of each size in your car.

16. A spare fan belt is good insurance, especially if you are starting on a long trip, and particularly if you own a foreign car. Take with you the tools needed to install the new fan belt. I recommend replacing all belts every two years or 25,000 miles. Keep unbroken old belts in the trunk to use as spares.

17. It is important to have a spare car door key in your wallet or purse. Some drivers tie the spare key under the car or use a commercial magnetic box to hide the key underneath the car; I do not recommend the magnetic boxes, as they are easily dislodged. If you have ever locked your keys inside the car, you know the feeling; one such incident will convince a driver to keep a spare key.

18. Carry with you road maps of your home state and other areas where you are likely to travel.

19. Keep a printout of this cheat sheet in your glove compartment for easy reference