What to Put in Your Emergency Road Assistance Kit

Cars can break down. Even newer cars can have difficulties and a driver needs to be prepared. What to put in your emergency road assistance kit is a comprehensive listing of items no one should be without when they are on the side of the road waiting for help to arrive. 

• Use a clear plastic tote to store your emergency assistance kit items in your trunk to help keep them neat and organized. You will also be able to see some of the items you will need without opening it up if needed.


• Place a large "CALL POLICE" and "HELP" signs in the tote. There are companies that make cardboard windshield guards with these words printed on the back of them and they fold up nicely.


• Have a small notebook with local emergency roadside assistance phone numbers printed inside. Also print your mechanic's phone number in the small booklet and if the mechanic does not operate a tow truck, put the number of a local tow truck down as well.


• Put a large flashlight in the kit. Check the batteries often. A good way to remember to check the batteries is to check them when you have your oil changed.


• Add tools you may need such as jumper cables, work gloves, hammer, screw driver, scissors and pliers.


• Purchase and place in the emergency kit reflective triangles, a fire extinguisher, various electrical tapes and reflective tapes.


• Also add some tire supplies such as a fix-a-flat style can to help you get to a gas station or parking lot so you can change the tire in a safe environment instead of the side of the highway. If the tire has experienced a blowout, this will not help and a tow truck should be called or the spare will need to be installed. Check the spare regularly for air and be sure your jack is in the car.


• Include cold weather survival equipment like extra clothing, blankets, socks and boots. Also place an old car mat or gardener's kneeling pad in the tote or in the trunk. This can be placed on the ground when you have to kneel down to fix or adjust something on the car alongside the road.


• Place a bag of cat litter in the trunk. This will provide traction under the tires if you are caught in the snow or ice.


• Another good idea is a plastic window insulation kit. These are the kind people use in their home to insulate their house windows from the cold weather. They work great when a window has a large hole in it or is smashed. Be sure to get the kit with the double stick tape that is appropriate for outdoor instillations and follow the directions, placing it on the inside of the vehicle around the window frame so as not to ruin the paint on the outside.