By Frank LingWhen an unexpected car emergency happens you’ll either be glad or “wish you had.” In other words you’ll be glad if you have the emergency items in your car to help you, and you won’t if you didn’t.
One of the most important emergency items that you can carry along in your car are reflective warning triangles. If you have to pull over to the shoulder, the close passing cars can be very hazardous.
Warning triangles can be seen very easily during the day or night. Space them in about 100 foot distances from your car to warn other drivers. But there are other things that you can carry along that can really help if your car breaks down.
Lanterns or Flashlights
If you happen to be stuck on a dark road, a small LED lantern or flashlight can be a life saver while you’re making repairs to a tire or other maintenance. Not only will drivers be able to spot you, you’ll have ample lighting to see what you are doing.
Try to avoid buying fluorescent tube lights as this is old technology that eats through batteries quickly. LED lighting can last hundreds of hours, while giving out high output brightness and using less energy and batteries.
Multi-Tool
These little marvels are survival kits in the palm of your hand. They have various tools on board such as screwdrivers, scissors, sharp bladed knife, pliers, and other assortments of gadgets, depending on the model and pricing.
Multi-tools can be used to tighten loose hoses, tighten clamps, extract and insert fuses, tighten loose screws, and other car parts.
Box of Fuses
Some of the electrical parts of your car can overload and blow a fuse such as when windshield wipers strain to remove heavy layers of snow off of the glass.
If you are running a lot of heavy load electrical devices in your car all at once, this can also lead to blown fuses. Check your owner’s manual or car manufacturer’s website for specific details on which fuses you'll need.
Jumper Cables
Almost everyone has accidentally left the cabin lights or car lights on, which leads to a weak or dead battery. Jumper cables can be hooked up to another car’s battery and temporarily give the dead battery a boost.
Just make sure you understand which terminal gets hooked up to the red or black terminals. This is highly critical so consult the product instructions before you attempt to give or receive a battery jump.
Source:
MSN Autos