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All-Season Vehicle Emergency Kit
Your car can become shelter, transport, and a rescue beacon — if it's stocked before trouble.
What to do
- 1Keep a kit that handles a breakdown, a crash, and being stranded overnight.
- 2Add season-specific items: blankets/sand for winter, extra water for summer.
- 3Include a way to get out of a sinking/crashed car and to be seen.
- 4Keep the tank above half and tell someone your route on long trips.
- 5Refresh water, snacks, and check the spare twice a year.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the car in a blizzard to find help
- No way to break a window if trapped
- Empty tank in winter
Good to know
- In a winter stranding, run the engine ~10 min/hour and keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow.
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