Stay Prepared – What You Need to Keep in Your Trunk and Why

It’s the Boy Scout’s mantra, but regardless of whether you’ve ever been a part of a troop, the last thing you want is to be left stranded by the side of the road because you don’t have what you need with you. Below are some of the most common items that you need to keep in your car at all times.

Jumper Cables

Nothing’s worse than going to start your car and discovering a dead battery. Well, not having any jumper cables around makes it a little worse.

If you need a jump and don’t have any cables around, you’ll quickly find out how many people don’t have jumper cables in their car. Save yourself the trouble and keep a set in your trunk. Maybe you’ll need to use them yourself, or perhaps you’ll be able to bail someone else out.

Just make sure you learn how to use them first!

Spare Tire/Jack/Tire Iron

Check to see if your car has a complete spare tire kit. If it doesn’t, you need to get one as soon as possible. You never know when you’re going to get a flat and need to change it.

If you’ve never changed a tire before, you should give it a try at home. That way, you’re not trying to figure it out for the first time on the side of the road.

Check out this guide by the Home Depot on how to change your tire.

Reflective Triangle and Vest

Speaking of changing your tire on the side of the road, you need to keep a reflective vest and triangle in your vehicle. That way, if you ever need to perform some simple maintenance like changing your tire on the side of the road, you can quickly alert other drivers to your presence to keep you safe.

Tire Pressure Gauge

Tire pressure is one of the most under checked parts of your vehicle. You should check your tire pressure at least once a month, but most people are lucky if they check it once every six months.

Your tires will lose air throughout the year, and weather changes expedite this. If you keep a tire pressure gauge right in your car, you can quickly check your tire pressure whenever you need to, wherever you are.

First Aid Kit

If a disaster strikes, what would you do? You can call 9-1-1, but they’re going to ask you to administer first aid until paramedics arrive. Having a first aid kit allows you to do that.

Keeping that kit in your car could save a life, and your life might be the one that the kit saves.

Ice Scraper

If you live in a colder climate, you need to keep an ice scraper in your car. Maybe you clean it off before you leave the house, but at the end of your shift at the office, your windows might have iced over again. If you don’t have an ice scraper with you, then you might be stranded for a while.

Benjamin Franklin once stated, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” When it comes to keeping essentials in your car, nothing could ring truer.

When you’re on the road, it’s only a matter of time before you need some of the items on our list. But even if you’re fortunate, it’s better not to need them and have them then to need them and not have them.

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