With harsh weather, limited visibility, slippery roads and dangerously cold temperatures, the last thing you want to deal with is an accident or break down. Preparing your vehicle for winter and having the right items in your winter car emergency kit, can keep you safe both on the road and in an emergency situation.
Here is our advice on how to prepare your vehicle for winter and a winter car emergency kit checklist:
Make sure your vehicle is winter-ready with a vehicle inspection.
The first place to start when preparing for winter driving, is making sure that your vehicle is operating safely for the conditions. Revolution Motors can conduct a full inspection on your vehicle with winter conditions in mind. This includes replacing worn tires, checking fluids, brake systems, ensuring your exhaust system isn’t leaking and inspecting other mechanical and safety systems in your vehicle.
Put on winter tires.
If you think all-weather or all-season tires are just as safe as winter tires, think again. All-season tires perform safely in spring, summer and fall, but once the snow flies and the temperatures drop, your car or truck should have winter tires on it. The tread on all season or even all-weather tires is not soft or grippy enough to manage our extreme freezing temperatures, ice and snow.
Put together a winter roadside emergency car kit.
Having some helpful supplies and tools in your vehicle can help you out of a bad situation if you are caught out in the cold after a breakdown or accident. If you’re not sure what to put in a car emergency kit in winter, carefully review this winter car emergency kit checklist:
- Booster cables
- Small shovel
- Windshield brush and scraper
- Emergency food, like energy bars and non-perishable canned food.
- Bottled water
- A warm blanket or sleeping bag
- Extra hat, mittens and socks
- First aid kit
- Pocket knife
- Tow rope or chain
- Gravel or road salt for traction
- Emergency flare and reflectors
- Whistle
- Cell phone charger
We recommend that you keep these items in the passenger compartment, just in case the trunk door or lock freezes. If you are broken down and want to run the car to keep warm, make sure there is no snow blocking your exhaust pipe, that the windows cracked open slightly and you only run the car for a few minutes at a time.
Courtesy of revolutionmotors
