You drive every day, and you know your route to work by heart. You rarely travel out of the 20-mile radius of your home. You seldom think about getting into an accident, and if you do, you know to call 911 and wait for the police. However, there may be some situations in which you will not be able to call the police.
You may have an accident in a remote area where your cell phone will not work or your cell phone may have run out of batteries. Your phone could be destroyed in an accident, or you may not be able to reach it if you are injured.
It is always a good idea to have an emergency kit designed for a car accident. It will enable you to survive for a day or two until help arrives. Once you get to safety, a doctor, an insurance company, and a professional car accident lawyer can help you recover from your injuries.
There are a few things essential to any emergency preparedness kit.
First Aid Kit
The first thing you will need is a first-aid kit. You can buy one from the store or make one yourself. Any good first-aid kit should include:
● Tweezers
● Antiseptic
● Bandages
● Aspirin
● Gauze
● Adhesive tape
● Disposable gloves
● Neosporin
If you have small wounds such as cuts and scrapes, you can treat them right away. You should always use gloves if you are going to treat another person. Tweezers can be used to pull glass out of your skin. Neosporin is the closest non-prescription medication to an antibiotic. It can help wounds from getting infected.
Bottled Water
You should have a couple of gallons of emergency water in your trunk. It can be used for drinking, cooking, or cleaning wounds.
Food
A few cans of nuts will provide quick protein in an emergency kit. Peanut butter and crackers work well also. Dried fruits will last a long time and give you quick energy. Cereal is full of nutrients and has a long shelf life. The foods you bring should be high in calories because you will need more energy than you normally do.
Emergency Glow Stick
Car accidents often happen at night, especially in remote areas where the streets are not well-lit. Even if your cell phone is working perfectly, using the flashlight will run down your batteries. An emergency glow stick will last up to 8 hours. You can also pack an ordinary flashlight, but it will not last as long.
Sewing Kit
You may have seen sewing kits in emergency bags before and wondered what they are for. If you are stranded after a car accident, the last thing you will be worried about is that there is a button missing from your shirt. Needles can be used as fish hooks if you need to fish to survive. It can also be used to suture a wound.
Hand Cranked Radio
When modern technology doesn’t work, you can always try to rely on the technology of the past. A hand-cranked radio is not expensive and it can also function as a phone charger and a flashlight. You can even get a radio that has a siren.
You will find these radios on the internet listed under NOAA radios (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). If you were in an accident due to a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, this AM/ FM radio will give you emergency weather updates from the NOAA.
Prescription Medication
If you or anyone in your family is on prescription medication, you should always have a few days of pills with you in your emergency kits. Missing a dose or too of medication that has been prescribed to you will not help in a situation where you may have to walk a long way with limited water.
Water Purification Tablets
If you are stranded without water, you can get water from a natural source such as a river and use water purification tablets. There are also strainers you can buy from a camp store that will purify water.
Paper Products
A roll or two of paper towels or toilet paper will make surviving outside for hours more comfortable. They can be used in first aid treatment and for staying hygienic. You can also use them to serve and prepare food.
Mylar Blanket
A mylar blanket will resist wind. They trap up to 90% of your body heat as well. They are the perfect thing to have in any emergency as they only weigh a few ounces.
It is also a good idea to put about $20 worth of coins in the glove compartment. If you run out of gas and have to walk to a gas station, you do not want to be disappointed if they do not take credit cards.
Having a car accident in a remote area is scary. Knowing a few survival tips can make it less frightening.