While you should never leave home without access to 24 hour roadside assistance, you of course hope you will never need to use it. Regardless, there are some specific items you want to have in your car to use in the event of an emergency.
The first category of needed items falls under car repair. These can get you back on the road and help you arrive safely at your intended destination. You should have the following on hand:
- Everything you need in the event you have a leaky or blown tire. The first item would be canned sealant, a foam canister which can be used to slightly inflate your tire and temporarily plug a tire leak. In case you need to fully change the tire yourself, you will need a tire jack, a tire iron, and an operable spare tire. It is very important to check on the health of your spare tire each time you check the pressure on the tires currently in use, as you do not want to be stuck on the side of the road with both a flat tire and a flat spare. This brings us to the last necessary tire-related item, which is a tire pressure gauge.
- Jumper cables in the event you experience a dead car battery.
- The manual that came with your car for reference.
The next category of items is for personal safety. If your car does break down, these will help keep you safe as you wait for your emergency roadside service to arrive. These include:
- Bottled water and energy bars.
- A battery-operated radio.
- A first aid kit.
- A flashlight.
- Matches.
- Road flares or reflective plastic triangles.
- Paper road maps.
In addition to this, you may wish to consider adding in a change of clothes, a blanket, emergency money, and a pen and paper.