WINTER DRIVING GUIDE pt. 2

Here's part 2 of the 4-part winter driving series by Aleksandar Rakocevic of Falls Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC

Winter Emergency Kits or: Always Be Prepared!

This has been covered fairly well all over the internet, but I will comment a little on what you should have and why.

Some Internet links I found:

Winter car kits:
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&p=1596142
http://cars.about.com/od/adviceforowners/a/ag_winterkit.htm
Stuck in a blizzard:
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&p=1613791

What you may want to include in your kit.

-Blankets. With an s. Keep several blankets in your vehicle. Extra layers will help keep you warm. One can get wet. You may have a passenger. You might need to use one to get traction. There are a million reasons to have more than one blanket.

-Flashlight. I keep 2 LED headlamps just wrapped around the head rests in my car. It's a great place to stash them and out of the way. Flashlights are useful for light and for signalling in an emergency.

-Food, Water. Do I need to explain? I keep a couple of MRE's, as well as a1 gallon jug and a few 500ml bottles that I drink and replace regularly.

-Sand, Salt or ballast: This adds extra weight to the rear end of your vehicle for traction, as well as gives you a way to get traction if you're ever stuck on ice (By pouring it down) I've used all different types, and now have settled on a 25 pound bag of road salt. Your mileage may vary.

-Shovel: A folding snow shovel might dig you out. A folding camping shovel is almost useless, but better than nothing. Trust me from experience.

-Jumper cables: Should have these anyway, but in winter batteries die more often. I've taken to carrying a battery jumper in my trunk in the winter.
This is the one I use.
http://www.wagan.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=49&category_id=19&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=101

-Warm clothes: This should also be self explanatory. Keep extra warm clothes in your vehicle. You should be wearing some anyway, but extra clothes are good for you or your passengers. You will want clothes suitable for getting outside in the snow and working to dig out your car. Snowpants, waterproof jacket, gloves, hat. An extra pair of waterproof boots if you're not wearing some already, and extra socks are good. If you don't normally wear thermal underwear, some of those are good too.

-Ice scraper: Up here every vehicle has a plastic ice scraper/snow brush. If you have risk of snow, get one.

-Flares: A few emergency flares, or even the emergency LED beacons are good to have, just in case.

-Candles, fire. Small metal tin: A candle can give you light at night if stranded. It can provide some heat, and with a small metal tin or cup, you can melt snow. I use a standard US army mess kit in my trunk.

-Cell Phone: Always carry one. If you like, carry a deactivated one with charger that can only be used to call 911. If you are out driving around in the winter, you should have a cell phone with car charger. Period.

- GM's Onstar System: This is a great thing to have. It acts as a built in emergency cell phone in your vehicle that not only lets you contact help, but will contact it automatically for you in event of an accident. I've had customers who were Firefighters and Paramedics who have seen how it works from the other end, and that's what convinced them to buy my product. It may come with a subscription fee, but I find it well worth the money.