girl broken car

Emergency Preparation is Key

by Anne Middleton, on December 29th, 2014

Let’s face it.  Life is not always a fairytale.  Being in the damsel in distress may get you bussed by a fairytale prince, but it’s not awesome when reality bites you in the derriere.  Your car is not a pumpkin carriage or a magic carpet or a chariot drawn by swans.  Last time I checked, I had no fairy godmother floating around whispering “Abracadabra” in my ear and smoothing my difficulties away. So it’s time to be an adult and assess how emergency-ready your vehicle is.  At the risk of this sounding like some drippy nighttime dystopic drama, the truth is that most Americans are not prepared for the potential for disasters and emergencies like they should be.  Here’s a few essentials you should keep in your vehicle that will help you breathe a little easier when all perdition breaks loose. 

A spare tire and jumper cables are no brainers.  If you don’t have them stowed in your trunk already, shame on you. Stop spinning your wheels and visit 4 Wheel Drive.  You should also have some duct tape and WD40.  You should still have your car’s operating manual (since you probably never opened it).  Be sure to tapethe business card of your trusted mechanic inside its cover and add your auto club info.  Invest in a tire pressure gage too.

Roadside flares or a reflective triangle are great for that horror movie moment in your life when you’re stranded on an abandoned bucolic road and hear the not-so-distant whirring of a chainsaw.  Advance Auto Parts may not be able to do much about the chainsaw but they’ll have what you need otherwise.  Keep a few meal replacement bars on hand too, in case you get ravenously hungry while waiting for assistance.  A first aid kit patches up any cuts or scrapes you may get while roughing it.  To distract yourself from the crummy situation at hand, you can tell ghost stores with a flashlight for valuable amusement. 

If can hear the death knell of your car tolling, it’s also a good idea to get a tow strap, so your car can easily be towed by an intrepid friend.  Go to 4 Wheel Parts.  Being trapped in a car makes for some adrenaline surging TV, but is no fun in real life.  Grab yourself a Life Hammer, which can help you to be Houdini when you get shackled by seatbelts or have to break a window to get out of car.  Keep that hammer in the glove compartment.  Check out Auto Parts Warehouse for a plethora of car essentials too.

Alakazam!  Well, saying that might make you feel better in an emergency, but won’t help much unless you have some serious sorcery aptitude.  A little logic and preparedness can go a long way towards getting you wrested from a sticky situation.  You’ll be able to sleep peacefully knowing that you can handle whatever the open road has in store for you.