The thing about accidents is we never expect it to happen until it does. We’ll never know when or where; even if you’re driving a Toyota Altis, the Philippines have plenty of very challenging roads (not to mention bad drivers… avoid them as much as possible and make sure to control your road rage!), accidents sometimes still happen.
Whatever the situation, you’re going to want to be prepared the best that you could. It’s essential to have certain items in your car just in case. These materials will help you deal with the problem or at least notify others that you are in need of assistance.
Road Flares or Triangles
These are especially important if you end up having an accident in the dark or late at night and you need to pull over. Road flares and warning triangles have several uses, including to signal drivers on the road there has been an accident and to be wary when driving by. It can also be used to signal distress.
Fire Extinguisher
Cars are machine and full of gas, hence serious accidents can be accompanied by sparks and these sparks could cause fires. Not only can this cause a lot of damage and injuries, if somehow there is exposed fuel from the car the effects could be very grievous (though not as explosive as seen in movies). That’s why you should keep a small fire extinguisher in the car to address the fire before it does any more damages.
Jumper Cables
A dead battery is a problem because without any charge your car won’t start and could leave you stranded. A quick fix for this is jump starting your car with another car’s batteries using jumper cables. If you have jumper cables stored in the back you just need one other thing, a kind soul with a car that will stop to help you out.
Spare Tire
One of the most common accidents are caused by a blown or flat tire. That’s why you should always have a well-maintained, ready-to-use spare tire in the back. Key word here is well-maintained, you must make sure that the spare tire is in good condition. There is obviously no point in replacing a flat tire with another flat tire. Once you use the spare tire make sure to replace it immediately.
First Aid Kit
Accidents are of different levels of severity; they could be very minor or they may cause severe injuries or even death. Your level of priority after an accident should be checking if everyone is safe, then attending to any injuries, and then fixing the car or calling for help. Always put the life and wellness of the people around you before anything else. A first aid kit is required in order to give immediate basic medical treatment. However these supplies and equipment are nearly useless if you don’t know how to use them, so make sure everyone is familiarized with them by taking a class or watching videos available online.
