Traveling Safely in Winter Weather
Before you hit the road this Holiday season, it’s wise to make a checklist of things you will need in an emergency. The winter season often brings unpredictable weather, and you never know when a blizzard, hail storm, or just bad luck may leave your vehicle out of commission. Standard supplies include warm blankets, jumper cables, flashlights, a first aid kit, bottled water, and pre-packaged food.
It’s also a good idea to make your vehicle visible to passing motorists, both for their safety, and in case you need to flag down some help. One way to draw attention is by using a Safety Flare Kit. Phoenix makes a versatile kit, which includes four orange batons, four bases, and a carrying bag. Each baton contains long-lasting LED bulbs, so you will not need to worry about burned-out bulbs. The batons have three settings: constant on, flashing, and flashlight. The batons can also be placed in their bases and used as highly-visible cones to set around your vehicle. Each baton uses 2 “D” batteries, another item you should add to your emergency kit.
Another good Warning Light is Wolo’s next generation Hawkeye Light. These lights also use LED technology and come in four colors: amber, blue, red, and clear. Each light comes with a 10 foot wire that plugs into a DC Jack (cigarette lighter), and due to their LED technology they produce more light with less power consumption. They have a protective, magnetic base, which will not scratch your auto’s paint. The red, blue, and amber lights each have 10 different warning light patterns that can be changed at the touch of a button. The clear model come with blue and red LEDs and has 22 different light patterns.
Once you’ve acquired everything on your list, you need a way to organize and store it all. When an emergency occurs, you’d waste precious time digging through your glove compartment, or reaching under your seat for that flashlight that’s always rolling around. I would suggest investing in a Car Trunk Organizer. One option manufactured by Go Rhino can be used in sedans, trucks, and SUVs. It has a rubberized bottom to prevent sliding, and heavy-duty, rigid panels. It comes with a set of movable dividers so you can customize your container with the proper amount of space for each emergency item. The heavy-duty lid is strong enough to store items on top of, but can also be removed, if you would prefer that configuration. What I find helpful is to put a map on the underside of the lid, detailing where each object is located. This is also a great way to run though your checklist before big trips, since you already have a list of what is supposed to be included, it’s not hard to double check everything and easily determine what is missing. Hopefully, you will never need to break into your emergency kit during any of your travels, but if you do, you will be glad you prepared ahead of time. Have a happy and safe holiday!
Go Rhino Trunk Organizer
