Your car's winter survival kit
Wednesday, 1 July 2020
Making sure your car is in good shape for the winter isn't necessarily limited to the condition of the car itself, it should also extend to what you keep in the car, particularly if you live in an area that gets lots of snow.
If you do a lot of mileage through the winter months, then an emergency 'survival kit' of essential items is a good thing to keep in your car, just in case the worst should happen. Here's a checklist of some of the things you should carry in your car for carefree winter driving.
Ice scraper
Pretty obvious really. If you stop for any time and the cold really hits, then you will need one of these. Check out our handy guide for clearing your windscreen.
**READ MORE:
* Auckland to Wellington without stopping? You shouldn't.
* Winter is here - here are some top tips for safe driving
**
A basic tool kit
You don't need this many, but keeping a few basic tools in your car is a good idea.
This is also something you should keep in your car year-round, particularly if it is an older car.
Even if you aren't terribly mechanically capable yourself, a small array of basic tools like a screwdriver, pliers and an adjustable wrench could prove invaluable to someone who might stop to help you.
Something else that everyone should keep in their glovebox year-round is one of those weird-looking little hammer things you see attached to bus windows.
Not only can they break a car window in an emergency, they also have a small cutting blade in the handle that can be used to cut a seatbelt.
No-one likes to think about a situation where you might need this, but it could well save your life. It's not just the dog that will appreciate a warm blanket in the car if you break down this winter.
Warm clothes and blankets
Speaking of, leaving a few warm jackets, blankets, socks and pairs of gloves in the car could literally prove to be a lifesaver if you get stuck somewhere far away and very cold. Or at the very least, make life way more comfortable if you didn't dress appropriately in the first place.
While you're there, packing a pair of gumboots or two isn't a bad idea as well.
Food and drink
Some non-perishable food or hard candies (Oddfellows if you've got them, thanks) tucked in the glovebox can come in handy if you are stuck somewhere for some time, and packing extra food, water and a thermos of something hot is always a good idea if you are off on a long journey in wintry conditions.
A small shovel
No-one enjoys digging snow with their hands - keeping a small shovel in your car can make all the difference.
There is very little worse than trying to dig yourself out of a situation with your hands, particularly when it is freezing cold, so a small shovel or snow shovel could be very much appreciated if you should come across something deeper than you first thought…
Jump leads
Batteries can and do fail in cold weather, so whether these come to your rescue, or enable you to rescue someone else, they are always handy. Of course, you should really keep some in your car year round, but particularly in winter.
A torch and batteries
While your phone may make a decent torch in a pinch, a proper torch - with spare batteries - can make all the difference.
While some modern cars come with a rechargeable, removable torch built into the boot (Skoda, for example) keeping a light source (and spare fresh batteries) in your car is a very good idea in winter. And rather handy year round too - punctures don't wait for daylight to happen.
Of course, while your mobile phone does make a decent torch in a pinch, if its battery is running low you probably won't want to waste it using it as a torch.
Map book or sat nav
Again, while many modern cars come with some form of embedded satellite navigation, getting disoriented at night or in snow can make for disaster.
Also, while modern phones have satellite navigation in them, having no signal can limit them or even make them useless - a sat nav unit or good old map book doesn't have that particular problem.
Sunglasses
Yep, sunglasses.
While we tend to associate winter with dark, dreary days, snow can be very bright and dazzling, particularly with snow about.
Polarised sunglasses (particularly ones with yellow or orange lenses) are also extremely good at increasing visibility on dull days as well.
High visibility jacket or warning sign
Some form of hi-vis vest or sign kept in your car will make sure other motorists can see you at night.
If you need to get out of your car on the side of the road on a dark winter's night, then you need to be seen.
Even if you have a torch, it may not always be visible to approaching motorists, but a reflectorised jacket or warning sign will be.
Extra windshield washer fluid and spare wiper blades
Visibility out of the car is also vital in winter, so running out of windshield washer fluid or having your wiper blades disintegrate in the middle of a dark, rainy night is the last thing you need. Carry spares because you probably won't know where the nearest service station is, or even if it will be open.
A first-aid kit
Again, this is something that you probably should have in your car year-round (or it came with your car), but in winter, when slippery roads are far more common, it is vital.
Tyre chains
If you drive in areas that get a lot of snow, then keeping a set of chains in your car is essential.
Everything tyre-related should, of course, be in your car - a tyre gauge, spare tyre (with air in it!), tyre-changing equipment - but making sure at the start of winter that everything is present and correct is essential.
If you live in an area that gets snow or are travelling to one, then the ideal time to double (or triple) check all this is when you put the snow chains in the boot.
A bag of abrasive material
If you spend a lot of time driving in snow, then a bag of sand, salt or non-clumping kitty litter can be very helpful indeed.
Something abrasive like this can provide extra traction if a tyre gets stuck in the snow, and could be the difference between making it home and shivering in your car.