Vehicle & Travel

A vehicle emergency kit allows you to carry more equipment than a personal bag and can prepare you for both everyday roadside problems and longer travel emergencies. Begin with the failures drivers encounter most often, including dead batteries, flat tires, poor traction, mechanical trouble, and unexpected delays. A dependable car emergency kit should include a jump starter, tire inflator, tire repair tools, traction aids, warning lights, basic tools, and roadside safety equipment. It should also prepare you to remain in or near the vehicle during extreme heat, winter weather, or a prolonged road closure, with blankets, hand warmers, weather protection, food, water, and visibility gear. Keep a seatbelt cutter and window breaker within reach of the driver rather than buried in the trunk. Inspect the kit at least twice a year because batteries discharge, medications expire, and food and water can deteriorate in a parked vehicle.