By Michael, on July 19th, 2012 
With the height of summer upon up, most people will be contemplating a vacation, and for a lot of people, that means a long road trip. Road trips can be fun, but they can also be cause for serious safety concerns. With people more likely to be tired behind the wheel on long drives, or be distracted by kids in the car, accidents during the summer months are becoming far too common. Here are some things that anyone who is serious about preparing for the worst should always keep in their car.
-A flashlight. An accident is more likely to happen at night, and whether your car is involved or you come upon an accident in your path, a flashlight is essential in order for you to take charge of the situation and prevent further damage by flagging down other cars or helping those that are wounded.
-Cell phone/spare battery/car charger. Communication is key when it comes to emergencies, and although nowadays we almost always have a cell phone within reach, it may run out of battery at the critical moment. Car chargers for your phone or spare batteries are a great thing to have in case of an emergency, making sure you can co-ordinate emergency services to your location or take instructions from emergency operators.
-Insurance/breakdown information. Car insurance is obviously a basic necessity in any emergency on the road, and something that should be well taken care of before it’s needed. But what people often neglect is to always carry a card from their insurance company with all the relevant details on it, in case you get into a fender bender and get flustered on the motorway with thousands of cars whizzing by. Similarly, breakdown cover is one of the most important things to have if you’re serious about being prepared for the worst and as the old saying about guns goes it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
-MREs. You never know when you’ll be stranded for long periods of times in your car, whether it’s during a natural disaster or a simple highway breakdown far from civilization. The biggest misconception about emergency rations is that they have to taste bad. Long lasting food can be anything from packaged soup to chocolate to canned food, a bit of imagination when it comes to packing for a disaster can turn what could have been a tragedy into a roadside picnic.
-Water bottles. Everyone knows we need water to live, and bottled water is almost an everyday item for most people, but few people have the foresight to keep a bottle in the car, even though it seems like the most obvious thing in an emergency. And it’s not just you that needs to keep hydrated when on the road, your car can also overheat and need some cool H2O.
