Whether you’re stranded on the roadside due to a flat tire or suffered injuries in a car accident, having a car emergency kit with all the necessary things can help save your life. In Los Angeles, it can be even harder to be stranded, with its high crime, homeless and mentally ill pedestrians, and suspicious police. In order to provide you with the most authoritative, trustworthy data, we culled through some Los Angeles survival and prepper sites, as well as the top-ranking injury law website here. I reached out and chatted with attorney Michael Ehline from the Los Angeles-based Ehline Law Firm, which specializes in car accidents and other personal injuries. Mr. Ehline informed me that his attorneys have investigated thousands of car accidents and even sexual assaults by Uber drivers since 2005.
Michael co-drafted part of the Cruise Ship Safety Act and is actively engaged in the Paul Ehline Ride Motorcycle Anti-Cancer Ride. He is also an inactive US Marine, so I figured he’d be able to give me the full circle of car accidents and emergencies. I used what he offered me, as he is an authority and expert, and what I learned on other survival websites to develop some items that can be real lifesavers for accident emergency victims or their loved ones.
Things You Should Have in Your Car for Emergencies
Maintaining your vehicle in good working condition and carrying out routine inspections can help prevent a roadside emergency. However, it is also essential to keep a car emergency kit in case of a roadside emergency due to unforeseen circumstances.
You should have the following essential items in your car emergency kit.
Jumper Cables
These are insulated wires that let you get a jump start on your dead car battery. Jumper cables allow car owners to connect a running car’s battery with the dead or weak battery to jump-start their car so they can safely reach their destination or the auto service shop.
Without jumper cables in your car emergency kit, you might find yourself in a scary situation if your car’s battery dies in an unfamiliar or dangerous location.
Digital Tire Inflator
Low tire pressures can cause vehicles to lose traction, increasing the risk of car accidents. The current generation often neglects critical routine checks before leaving home, including checking car tires. Such negligence can one day result in them being stranded in an unknown location with a busted engine or a flat tire.
With the digital tire inflator in your car emergency kit, you don’t need to worry about going to a repair shop to pump your tires. It is portable (you can fit it in your glove compartment) and convenient, allowing car owners to save time and money, making the digital tire inflator an excellent investment.
Spare Tire
A digital tire inflator is a great way to increase the tire pressures if they’re low, but if you’ve got a flat, good luck pumping that.
In such situations, you can only depend on a spare tire to help you reach a local workshop for a quick tire repair job. Make sure you have the necessary equipment to change a tire in your tool kit, such as a tire iron and car emergency warning devices in your car emergency kit to warn any incoming vehicles.
All-weather Duct Tape
Whether you’ve just had an incident resulting in a broken side-view mirror or a broken rear-view mirror due to wear and tear, driving your car in such a condition is often dangerous. An all-weather duct tape is a handy thing to have in your vehicle and can hold your vehicle and its components together until you can have them properly repaired. You can use all-weather duct tape in freezing temperatures or when it’s raining, and it will do its job without loosening.
Windshield Sunshade
California has a Mediterranean-type climate where the average daily high-temperature hovers around 70°F and can sometimes touch 80°F. The burning sensation when you sit in a car parked outside in such high temperatures can sometimes be unbearable.
A windshield sunshade is a great car accessory that reflects sunlight and keeps your vehicle cool during the summer. In the winter, it doesn’t let heat escape from the car, keeping it warm and comfortable. It also prevents UV light which can cause damage to the vehicle’s dash, seats, or electronics.
Water-resistant LED Flashlight
Getting stuck on the side of a road due to a bad tire can lead to panic, and it’s even worse at night, as changing a flat tire without a flashlight in the pitch dark is not at all convenient.
Whether changing a flat tire at night or searching for something you lost in your vehicle, an LED flashlight is essential in such situations. Even better than an LED flashlight is a water-resistant one that you can use when it’s pouring heavy, and it’s small enough to fit in your car’s glove compartment.
Windshield Cleaning Tool
How many times have you had to wipe the dirty windshield with your hand while driving? A dirty windshield can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a car accident. With an inexpensive windshield cleaning tool, you can now maintain your car’s windshield and increase its lifespan while having a better view of the road.
Although you can wipe a windshield with paper towels, a windshield cleaning tool gets the job done quicker. You may also consider an ice scraper, as an ice scraper is pretty useful during winter when it’s snowing.
A Pair of Work Gloves
Dirty and hot vehicle components can lead to greasy hands and even burns if you’re not careful during inspections or a DIY job.
Having a pair of work gloves in your car’s glove compartment can allow you to get to hard-to-reach places without burning your hands or having grease all over them after a repair job.
Car-adapted Cell Phone Charger or Car Charger
Having a cell phone with a low or dead battery can be frustrating when you need it the most. Imagine being unable to call a tow truck due to a dead battery.
A cell phone or a car charger can help you avoid such a situation, eliminating unnecessary stress and ensuring you always stay online.
A Roll of Quarters
Free parking space isn’t available everywhere, especially if you’re living in cities like New York or California. Sometimes you have to dish out some quarters and park your vehicle in a paid parking spot, but what if you don’t have spare change?
Having a roll of quarters in your vehicle’s glove compartment is a real lifesaver and can avoid the stress when you’re rummaging through your jeans pockets to find some quarters to pay for parking.
Trash Bags
Whether you’re heading to work, grocery shopping, or posting a package to a family member, your car is your second home as you spend most of the time in it.
Keep it clean and tidy by having trash bags in the boot so that you can throw the junk in the trash bags immediately and have a clean, neat car at the end of the day.
Blanket
In the winter, the temperatures can drop below minus; if you’re left stranded in the snow, you need to keep warm. A thick blanket can protect you from the cold and even come in handy for picnics. There are so many uses for a blanket, so always have one in the trunk of your car.
Emergency Food
Ever seen the 2011 show Doomsday Preppers, where people prepare for the worst by stacking their basements and bunkers with emergency supplies and all the necessities? You never know how long you will be stuck in traffic or get lost while cruising, trying to look for a destination.
Having emergency dry melt-proof food items such as granola bars in your vehicle can help satisfy your hunger and give you the energy to continue your day.
A Rope
One of the essential items you can have in your vehicle is a rope. A strong rope can have many uses, such as tying your car to another for a quick tow, securing a Christmas tree you bought, or getting you out of a muddy hole. You can even use the paper towels to wipe the mud off, an extra usage for the handy paper towels.
Escape Tool for an emergency
A car accident can leave you stuck in your vehicle with no way to escape, and in some situations, it might be too late when the emergency services arrive.
An escape tool acts as a seat belt cutter and a window breaker, and it can help you escape the vehicle fast before panic starts to set in.
Fire Extinguisher
If your car’s engine catches fire after an accident or a campfire gets out of control, you need a fire extinguisher to control the situation.
Get one of those inexpensive portable extinguishers and keep it in your car, as you never know when you’ll need it.
First Aid Kit in an emergency
Even if you’re careful while driving, someone else might not be leading to a car accident. To ensure you and your passengers are safe, a first aid kit should contain bandages, scissors, medications, adhesive tape, anesthetic spray, triangular bandage, safety pins, and a few other items.
You Need an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney After an Accident!
Whether you use car emergency warning devices when changing tires on the side of the road or keep all the essentials in your car emergency kit, it cannot stop an accident from happening if the other drivers are driving recklessly, distracted, or drunk.
An accident can lead to devastating injuries, and you must seek the help of an experienced personal injury attorney to learn more about your legal options.
Conclusion
We just discussed some salient ideas to get you through a car accident emergence with help from many authoritative sources and a local Los Angeles legal expert. You also learned that if you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident due to another’s negligence or misconduct, you can typically get a free consultation from trained injury attorneys. People like this will help determine whether you have a valid case and aggressively pursue the compensation you deserve. However, if you were stranded, or your car broke down, these tips can help you get through the night till help arrives.
