9 Winter Essentials for Safety on the Road

Driving in the Winter Months can be Dangerous!

Everyone knows that when the snow starts to fall, the driving will become much more hazardous than when the roads are dry.  In the Winter, one thing you can almost count on is bad weather somewhere along the way.  Being prepared for the worst, will help you get to your destination safely.

There are 9 things I would like to see in every car!

1. Before Heading out, make sure your tank is full of gas and windshield washer fluid (made for the cold weather)
2. A Flashlight with working batteries or a power source.
3. A snow brush/ice scraper.
4. A shovel (they make special telescoping ones for cars and trucks).
5.  A USB car charger
6.  A roadside Winter Essentials Kit for the car.
7.  A Winter Emergency Kit for People.
8.  A First Aid Kit.
9.  A cell phone and charger.

The one other thing I would recommend even if you are going only for a short distance is to be dressed for any possibilities.

What can happen?

In the winter months, anything can happen in a car, even if you take good care of your vehicle.  There are hoses that can break, flat tires, having a rear ender on icy roads or any number of other possibilities. We don’t go out looking for trouble, but sometimes trouble finds us. It happens when we least want it to.  Have you ever tried to change a tire in high heels, because you were headed out to a party when it went flat?

Being prepared is always a good idea.  Dress for the weather, not for the end destination.  That means wearing your boots, hat, and gloves.  You can change your boots to shoes  when you have arrived at your destination safely.  Getting caught in high heels and having to walk or do anything requiring you to be outdoors for any length of time, will become very dangerous for you.  If you are on a stretch of roadway where there is no one around, you won’t last an hour.

Don’t Do That to Yourself!

Common Sense Should Always be Your Guide

Only you know how far you are traveling and what the conditions are when you set out.  If you are within city limits and there are people and places to get help, then you don’t need to be as prepared. But and this is a big BUT, it won’t hurt to be prepared anyways.

Within city limits,  you can usually get help quickly and easily.  In the country or backwoods, that is not the case.  You have to be able to do something to help yourself.  If you can’t help yourself then you need to be able to call for help.  I can remember going to a Christmas Party at a home that was on the border of being in the country.  The long winding street to the house was being plowed out by snowplows.  When they came upon us, they just forced us off the road and into a huge snowbank.  Thank goodness the home we were visiting was just about a half a mile ahead.  We called up to the host and hostess, and he was kind enough to get on his snowmobile and haul us out. He also took me for a ride right to the front door.  It wasn’t the only rescue he made that night.

During the Winter Months, These Items should be in your car at all times.

These items should be in everyone’s car. Some are a little bit expensive, but you only need to buy them once and then you have them for the life of the car, or more. If you want to make your own survival kit, that is easy to do too and will save you money, over buying one already prepared.

An Easy Winter Survival Kit

Get a container, a crate, box, plastic tub, really any container that will hold all your needs.  In the bottom place a blanket, candle, matches in a waterproof container*, a few granola bars or candy bars would be good, and a homemade first aid kit.  In this container, you may also include some bottled water or a thermos of coffee or tea.   If you don’t need them on your trip, you can always eat the candy bars and drink the tea/coffee on the way home again.

*Get wooden matches, place them(30 or so) into a pill container.  At the bottom of the pill container add one of those packets of dehumidifiers that come with new shoes.  Add a strip of sandpaper to light the matches.  This should last you for over a year without any problem.  There is nothing worse than having matches that won’t light!

My wish for you is that you arrive safe and sound, ready for a really good time with family and/or friends.  

 

This post is part of a Blog Hop!  Please take the time to visit other bloggers in the list and you will find interesting things all having to do with WINTER

1. Steampunkary – Steampunk Christmas Ornaments and Gift Guide

2. Grammie Knows How – Winter Essentials for Safety on the Road

3. Determined to Shine – Inspired by Angels: A Holiday Art Journal Project Using Coloring Book Pages

4. Candi Carey:  Deal Finding Family Fun Family Winter Activities

5. Sylvia Mayfield: Winter Wonderland Christmas Decorating Ideas
6.Linette G.: Grinch Printable Whoville Cup Cake Topper

7. Stephanie Rose: Peppermint Herb Bath Bombs
8. Alyssa Heitz: 3 Tips on How to have a Healthy Holiday
9.  Birthstone Magic – Winter Colored Birthstones: Beautiful Blue and White Birthstones for Winter Celebrate the Season
10. Sherry Nappa: Granny Square Christmas Dishcloths

12. Housewives Hobbies – Christmas Free Knitting Patterns
13. Essential Oils for Guide: 20 ways to Stay Healthy and Stress Free….
14. Best Gifts for Happy Living: Decorating your Table for Christmas

15.Crystal Bemis: 25 Christmas Books You Child Will Love

16. http://victorianchristmasparty.com/
17. Stephanie Gram: Products and Tips for Winter Skin Care

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Picture Credits for 9 Winter Essentials…..

Picture of Road: https://pixabay.com/en/street-731160_1920.jpg

Picture with trees: https://pixabay.com/en/snow-landscape-ice-winter-landscape-257501/