By Payton Tholstrup
With winter quickly approaching, AAA is encouraging drivers to pack an emergency kit in their vehicles so they are prepared for any event that may occur on the road. They also know that with the holidays, people will be traveling more. AAA said there will likely be more than 584,000 Kansans among the 55.4 million Americans who will be traveling 50 miles or more away from home over Thanksgiving.
AAA Kansas estimates that they will rescue more than 1,400 stranded drivers in Kansas over the holiday period. They shared that typically, they see a high volume of calls for things such as dead batteries, flat tires, and other issues requiring a tow.
AAA suggests with the colder weather this week to check the battery in your vehicle especially if it’s a few years old. Tires also lose pressure when it’s cold, so it’s important to check those as well.
Other things that should be regularly checked include brakes, windshield wipers, lights, engine, brake fluid, anti-freeze, etc.
A winter emergency kit can be stored in the cargo area of the vehicle where it can be readily available. According to AAA, more than 40% of motorists do not carry an emergency kit in their vehicle.
The emergency kit should include:
- Fully charged mobile phone pre-programmed with rescue apps and important phone numbers (like family and emergency services) and a car charger
- Bottled water
- First-aid kit
- Non-perishable snacks for humans and pets
- Bag of abrasive material (sand, salt, cat litter) or traction mats
- Snow shovel
- Blankets
- Extra warm clothing
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Window washer solvent
- Ice scraper with brush
- Cloth or roll of paper towels
- Jumper cables
- Warning devices
- Basic toolkit
