What supplies should you have for common emergency situations in your vehicle? Many day-to-day emergencies happen with little or no warning. In those emergencies, we are often in or around our vehicle when they happen. Although self-defense may be our first thought about vehicle readiness, many other emergencies are more likely. So, what can you do to make sure your vehicle is properly equipped for those emergencies?
Why Vehicle Readiness is Important
The average American is stuck in traffic an average of 51 hours (119 hours if living in an urban area) each year. Additionally, there are over 5 million vehicle accidents per year in the U.S. with 38,824 deaths in 2020. Over one million of those crashes result in some kind of vehicle entrapment. These numbers translate to roughly a 1 in 63 chance of being in an accident and a 1 in 315 chance of entrapment. These odds are significantly higher than the chance of being in a self-defense situation (estimated at 1 in 4,738). Furthermore, the average American spends 293 hours a year in their vehicle. These numbers show we are playing the odds. It’s important to make vehicle readiness a priority for an emergency whether mechanical, medical, escape, longer term survival, or self-defense.
Vehicle Readiness: Mechanical Issues
I’m the first to admit my mechanical skills are below where I want them to be, especially with modern vehicles. That said, a few simple skills and devices come in handy for most vehicular issues. Do you know where the spare tire and tools are to change a flat on your vehicle? Are they present and in good condition? Finally, do you know how to use them? I would have answered “yes” to all of these prior to changing a flat on my newest truck. I found I didn’t have the answers to the first two. Fortunately, Google came to the rescue. Ever since, I make sure I know the answer to these questions for each new vehicle.
You may also want to add a can of Fix-a-flat to your car tools in case you have more than one flat. A fire extinguisher and jumper cables are worth adding. Again, make sure you know how to use them. I also added road flares and light up hazard signs to my vehicle’s tools. Finally, I have a tow chain and a multi-tool specific for vehicles included in my vehicle’s tools as well.
Medical Preparedness
I think it makes the most sense to have at least one first aid kit and, if anywhere, have it in your vehicle. Your vehicle goes where you do for the most part. In addition, the chances of an accident are far greater than other times we might need a first-aid kit. Our vehicle is a natural choice to have a ready-to-go and easily accessible first aid kit.
At a minimum, a first aid kit should include a quality tourniquet, compression bandages, hemostatic gauze, nasal airway, vented chest seal, and gloves. You may want to consider more items and multiples of the key items since storage space is at less of a premium in your vehicle. Items focused on non-life-threatening injuries and comfort may also make sense for a car-based first aid kit. Those items include various bandages, sting and burn relief, and pain management.
Escape from a Vehicle
Escaping a damaged or trapped vehicle is more easily imagined than done. Hollywood has us believe car glass breaks with a quick punch. The reality is car glass is a far greater challenge than one thinks. Even some of the devices made to assist in escape (such as a knife with a window breaker in the handle) may not be the best option in an emergency.
In a recent vehicle defense class, we tried cutting seat belts and breaking out car glass with our knives. Though possible, all of us were surprised how difficult it was to complete. By comparison, a small tool (Resqme) specifically made to break windows and cut belts was successfully used by everyone in the class on the first try. This tool, whether in your car or on a keychain, is a great way to make sure your escape options are simple and effective. A high lumen miniature flashlight added to your keychain helps combat dark environments as well.
Longer-Term Survival
Just as keeping a first-aid kit in your vehicle is an important part of vehicle readiness, I also think keeping a preparedness bag (bugout bag) in your vehicle makes sense as well. If abandoning your vehicle, it’s easy to retrieve the bag when it’s readily accessible in your vehicle. I detailed the uses and contents of preparedness bags in a previous article but, at minimum, there are key components you want if trapped with your vehicle.
The items to include in a preparedness bag should include a hand-cranked radio/light/cell phone charger, emergency blankets, 3 days of food and water (per person likely to be in the vehicle), duct tape and plastic to seal the vehicle if needed (there is 4 hours of air for one person in a typical car), filtration masks, and heat and light sources. A preparedness bag can contain many more items. However, the goal is to safely get out of an area where the air is compromised and/or survive for days if stuck and awaiting help.
Self-Defense as part of Vehicle Readiness
The most likely tool overlooked for self-defense in a vehicle is the vehicle itself. Your ability to avoid or escape dangerous situations is greatly enhanced when using or near an operational vehicle. A vehicle is also a highly effective deadly weapon (the vehicle), if needed. Though use of force laws usually reference firearms, the same laws also apply to a vehicle. I strongly encourage anyone to take a class on fighting to, within, and from a vehicle as a part of their overall defensive training. However, defensive tools should also be a part of your vehicle supplies. Though my partner and I plan to rely on our regularly carried firearms, I added non-lethal options to our vehicle as well as additional ammunition and magazines to supplement our carry guns.
You may decide to include a vehicle holster or dedicated vehicle gun. Make sure to evaluate the pros and cons when doing so. The cons of a vehicle holster include the addition of multiple administrative draws and holsters while getting in and out of your vehicle. This increases the likelihood of someone noticing your firearm. Regardless of your skill level, the chance of an accidental discharge increases each time the firearm is drawn and re-holstered. A dedicated vehicle gun reduces handling the gun, but increases the chance of the gun being stolen from an unattended vehicle.
Conclusion
Just as we prepare for an emergency to protect ourselves and our family, we also need to make sure vital tools are easily available as needed. As we develop our skills, we also want to plan for such situations. These plans need to ask: where I will be, who will be with me, and what do I need to better succeed? We are somewhat limited in what we can carry on us. For example, I tend to have a single tourniquet, a knife/multitool, flashlight, firearm (or two), extra magazines, and a cell phone. However, we are rarely far from our vehicles. Our vehicles provide a larger storage capacity to include the things we might need in an unexpected disaster or self-defense situation. Thus, it makes sense to prepare our vehicles just as we prepare ourselves.
