Emergencies do not come with a prior warning

Many newer cars used to come with a basic emergency kit and many manufacturers have discontinued the practice in order to cut cost. Your car should have an emergency kit no matter what the make and model is. It is to your advantage to prepare the kit to handle the worst incident possible.

Keep you and your family in mind when putting together an emergency kit. At a minimum your emergency kit should include jumper cables, flashlights, road flares, fire extinguisher, vehicle fluids, first aid kit, some tools, a shovel, and gloves. You should carry water and food in a separate kit.

Place of storage in the car is also important. Location should be easily accessible in an emergency and avoid taking up valuable storage space in the vehicle. Make sure everyone in the family aware of the kit and its placement. Keep the same location each time you update it. Get the family to learn how to operate some of the equipment in your kit.

Check the kit periodically. Food need to be replaced according to shelf life. A rule of thumb is to check the kit every season as weather starting to change.