Are You Prepared to Spend the Night in Your Vehicle?

A few days ago a storm came through our area which caused the major freeway between LA and Vegas to be closed down overnight.  Needless to say, a lot of people found themselves spending the night in their vehicles until the freeway reopened the next day.  I am also guessing that many of these people were unprepared for such an experience.  

Everyone should have basic supplies and equipment in their car in case of emergency.  This includes:

• Bottled water
• Simple, easy to eat, no cooking required food
• A charged battery bank to power your cell phone
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• A way to stay warm (usb handwarmers and an additional battery bank, for example)
• Flashlights and spare batteries
• A way to go to the bathroom (a coffee can with cat litter, TP, and hand sanitizer, for example)
• Entertainment (a book and reading light, cards, etc)
• Other emergency supplies
  

Your Car Accident Preparedness Kit

Be sure to have these items in your vehicle--in case you are in/roll up on--a car accident:

• Mylar emergency blankets
• Emergency flares
• Nitrile gloves
• Window breaker/seatbelt cutter tool
• Flashlight/spare batteries
• Fire extinguisher
• First aid kit
• Breaker bar
• Clean rags
• Bottled water
• Pen and paper

And remember to document document document--in writing and with photos/video on your cell phone--everything (photos and videos of the wreck, photo of the person who hit you, photo of other person's drivers license and insurance, photo of of the scene from various positions, etc).

National Preparedness Month Day 19--Vehicle Preparedness

Having a vehicle can be critical to your ability to bug out in the event of a disaster.  If you have a vehicle (I say "if" because many people in cities opt not to have one in favor of public transit and Uber), here is how to ensure that it is always ready to go:

• Always keep your vehicle in good working order.
• Do regular maintenance on your vehicle both to ensure that it is in good working order and to increase its lifespan (oil changes, air filter changes, topping off fluids, etc).
• Make sure your registration and proof of insurance is in the glove box.
• Consider window tinting for your vehicle as well as installing a dash cam.
• Never let your gas tank drop below half a tank.
• If you can safely store an extra can or two of gas for your vehicle at home, do so.  Be sure to rotate this fuel regularly.
• Have good tires on your vehicle.
• If you live in or travel to areas where there may be snow, have snow tires or tire chains on hand.
• Always keep water and food in your car (be sure to rotate these items frequently).
• Keep the following emergency items in your vehicle: first aid kit, flashlight and extra batteries, work gloves, tarp, emergency flares or reflectors, jack, spare tire, FixAFlat, fire extinguisher, jumper cables/jump starter, rain poncho, umbrella, tow straps, rope, fire extinguisher, rags, window breaker/emergency escape tool, basic tools (pliers, wrenches, hammer, screwdrivers, etc), zip ties, duct tape, ice scraper, cell phone charger, mylar blankets, matches, zip loc bags, plastic garbage bags, wet wipes, paper maps, extra cash, down throw, change of clothes and small toiletry kit, battery or hand crank radio, whistle, N95 mask, multipurpose tool, any special supplies (stuff for your dog/kids/infants/etc).
• If you can legally carry a concealed weapon in your vehicle, have your weapon, holster, and spare magazines/ammo in a secure place in your vehicle.
• Know how to drive in all weather conditions (if, for example, you don't know how to drive in snow, go practice in a parking lot before hitting the road).  There are also plenty of YouTube videos on this subject.

Car Trouble

Having a fairly new, fairly dependable, fairly high-end vehicle, the last thing I thought I would have is car problems.  Until today when the vehicle was dead as a door nail when we left a restaurant after dinner.  Now years ago in my do-it-yourself days I would have hopped out of the vehicle, grabbed the jumper cables, found someone with a vehicle, and fixed the issue myself (or called a buddy with a truck and a tow rope and dragged the thing to another buddy's garage and fixed whatever the issue was).  Today a quick call to roadside service that comes with the vehicle fixed the problem relatively easily--well maybe not fixed but it got the car started so I could drive it home; tomorrow it will be on its way to the dealership to get a new battery which is covered under warranty.  So what did I learn from this?

• No car is immune from car issues so always be prepared.
• Car batteries only last two or three years in the desert southwest (said the guy who jumped the battery and said the battery was "old" in relative terms).
• Know if your vehicle comes with roadside assistance (all of this info was kept in the glove box and it was a simple call to get help).
• Know what is covered by your vehicle's warranty (my vehicle has a pretty comprehensive warranty) and how long the warranty is good for (my vehicle still has a couple years and tens of thousands of miles left on its warranty).
• Consider getting AAA (the low annual fee covers roadside assistance and towing among other things; best of all it covers any vehicle you own or are driving or are a passenger in).
• Have basic car emergency supplies on hand (example list here).  I had jumper cables so I could have fixed the issue myself if needed.
• Consider carrying your own portable jumper boxes (these have become very popular recently).  Another popular item to have is a portable air compressor to pump up a flat tire.
• In extreme areas have extra supplies in your vehicle (extra bottled water, food, cold weather gear, and umbrella, etc).
• Know what you don't have.  A friend called in a panic one day when she had a flat and looked for the spare and found that her car didn't have one!
• Have a triple-redundant contingency plan for if you get stranded.  In this case there were several options if the car couldn't be easily fixed.  I could literally run home and get another vehicle (it would have taken a few hours), we could have hopped on the city bus to get home, we could have called a tow truck to take us and the vehicle home (I have the number of a buddy with a tow truck on my emergency contact list), we could have ordered up an Uber or Lyft, or we could have called any one of several friends who lived close by for a lift home.

Overall this was an annoyance but it wasn't a crisis.  The situation was easily resolved, and it could have been much worse (it could have broke down on the freeway when it was 115 degrees outside)!

100 Items to Have in Your Vehicle

Besides our homes, most of us spend a lot of time in our vehicles.  In a time of crisis, if you are in your vehicle and not in your home, you will want to have a variety of items at your disposal.  These include:

1. Spare tire
2. Jack
3. Lug wrench
4. Locking lugnut key
5. Set of basic car tools
6. Fix a flat
7. Jumper cables
8. Power pack jump starter
9. Flashlight
10. Extra batteries (for the flashlight)
11. Fire starter tabs
12. Bottles of water
13. Food (like granola bars, jerky, candy, etc)
14. Ice scraper
15. Wind-up radio
16. Small tarp
17. Space blanket
18. Regular blanket (or sleeping bag)
19. Cash
20. Coins
21. Pre-paid Visa card
22. Registration and proof of insurance
23. AAA or other road assistance card
24. First aid kit
25. Fire extinguisher
26. Pair of work gloves
27. Extra jacket
28. Flares
29. Cell phone charger
30. Box of tissue
31. Wet Wipes
32. Garbage bag
33. Couple of ziplocs
34. Large garbage bag
35. Duct tape
36. WD-40
37. Tire pressure gauge
38. Reflective road triangles
39. Matches or lighter
40. Seat belt cutter/window breaker tool
41. Map of your area
42. Small notebook
43. Pen
44. Folding knife
45. Umbrella 
46. Windshield cover
47. Shovel
48. Funnel 
49. Bag of sand or kitty litter (for winter traction)
50. Tow rope
51. Sunglasses
52. Hand lotion
53. Sunscreen
54. Mini toiletry kit
55. Spare medication
56. Fluorescent flag
57. Tire chains (for winter driving)
58. Paracord
59. Collapsible fuel container
60. Whistle
61. Bungee cords
62. Utility knife
63. Shop towel
64. Nitrile gloves
65. Rain poncho
66. Assorted zip ties
67. Glow sticks
68. Lip balm
69. Half roll toilet paper 
70. Reflective safety vest
71. Battery power bank
72. Portable air compressor
73. Spare car parts (light bulbs, fuses, wiper blade, etc)
74. Written list of emergency contact numbers/addresses
75. Quart of oil
76. Sealed canister of antifreeze
77. Kindle (with a few entertaining books and some survival guides, first aid guides, etc)
78. Small repair items (safety pins, wire, rubber bands, etc)
79. Spare specialized supplies (baby diapers, hearing aid batteries, baby formula, etc)
80. HAM radio and gear (if you use these things)
81. Firearm, spare magazine, spare ammo (if you use these things)
82. Siphon tube and pump
83. Power inverter
84. Spare key (hidden on the outside of the vehicle)
85. Backpack (for bugging out of your vehicle)
86. Collapsible water container
87. Wilderness survival kit (water purification tabs, compass, fishing kit, magnifying glass, etc)
88. Bandanna
89. Pepper spray
90. Items specific to your vehicle (wench, brush guard, tow hitch, etc)
91. GPS device (built in, on your phone, or stand alone device)
92. Eating kit (spork, metal cup, tiny can opener)
93. Paper towels or napkins
94. Chemical hand warmer packs
95. Chemical ice packs
96. Binoculars
97. N95 mask or dust mask
98. Wag bags
99. Thumb drive with back up of all of your important files
100. Change of clothing and good walking shoes

10 Must-Have Items For Your Car

It's nice having my car to drive around.  It had been nearly seven months from the time we left our vehicle in storage to travel until we retrieved it and drove to Las Vegas where we will now "home base" ourselves while we continue to travel.  Here are ten items that I absolutely MUST have in any vehicle I I own:

1. GPS device (so I never get lost)
2. DC to AC outlet converter adapter (so I can charge my cell phone and laptop without a special car charger)
3. Flashlight (stuff always happens at night which is when this flashlight comes in handy)
4. Basic tool kit (so I can fix simple problems in an emergency)
5. Spare food and water (has come in handy many times; usually during multi-hour traffic jams)
6. Cash (I always have around $500 in cash hidden in various places in the vehicle)
7. Car BOB (a small backpack with stuff that I need to survive for 72+ hours on my own; has been used many times for unexpected overnight stays out of town)
8. Copy of my driver's license, insurance card, registration (items needs if pulled over by the police)
9. Basic first aid kit (has been used a number of times for everything from a headache to a major traffic accident)
10. Pen and paper (to leave a note for someone, take down details of an accident, etc)

These are simple, inexpensive items that will make your drive across town or across the country much better in the event of an emergency.  I carry all of these items organized neatly in various locations in my car (ie: not piled in the backseat so it would be an invitation to thieves) and make sure to check/update/replace these items annually or as needed.

Is Your Car Ready for a Winter Storm?

We had a heck of a winter storm roll through our area last week--ice, snow, rain, wind, ensuing power outages--which did quite a job on our roads (and my fence too which I still need to get around to standing back up). We had relatives flying in for Thanksgiving and their usual less than an hour drive from the airport turned into a five hour ordeal in snow and ice. Fast forward to this week where we have had plenty of cool yet nice weather. Now as I watch the news, it looks like the folks in New York are getting hammered by snow much more so than would ever happen here. In fact, people have been stranded on I 90 for more than ten hours which brings us to the purpose of today's post...

While you should always have your car ready for any emergency, you should take special care during periods of bad weather to protect your vehicle, and especially yourself. Here's how:

• Keep your gas tank at least half full, preferably as close to full as is practical for those times when you are stranded in traffic for hours on end.


• Be sure to have food and water in your car.


• Ditto for blankets.


• You should always have a good stock of emergency items in your vehicle: spare tire, jack, "fix a flat", an assortment of tools, jumper cables, work gloves, a flashlight, tow rope, duct tape, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, a fluorescent vest, road flares


• During cold weather you will want to include: a windshield scraper, hand warmers, a shovel, a bag of sand, tire chains


• Some other things that I consider essential: spare cash and coins, a car cell phone charger, insurance and registration, a knife, a firearm and spare ammo (this is a personal preference)


• If you drive often, for long distances, have a car of questionable reliability, or don't want to or are unable to fix your own car problems, you may want to invest in a AAA membership.


• Of course you will have you car BOB in your vehicle.


• If you happen to live in a rural area, you may also want to include a chainsaw (a couple of friends picked up a good haul of firewood from the downed trees they came across last week), plastic sheeting and paracord, extra fuel in a regulation container, a wench


• You may also want to include any specialized equipment that may come in handy: a medic friend always carries his medic bag with him, a tow truck driver friend carries enough tools with him to set up a small shop, a hunter/fisher friend has enough equipment with him for an impromptu outing for either sport

These items are simply suggestions. You need to bring the gear and equipment that you are most likely to need and use without carting around enough stuff to #1 open a store, or #2 attract car prowlers. Be sure to inventory your stuff regularly, making sure that batteries work and food isn't expired. Most importantly, try to stay home when bad weather threatens and if you do end up out in the thick of it, drive carefully and slowly (yes, even if you have a four wheel drive--note vehicle in picture, above).

If You Drive a Car, Read This (It Will Save a Child's Life)

Today was the second time in a little over a week that a child was killed in our area by a family member who backed over them in their car. This type of thing happens every spring and summer and it is a tragedy for everyone each time it happens--for the child, the driver, the family, the EMS and LE responders, neighbors, etc.
When the weather gets warm, children are outside and they really don't care much where they play, they are just happy to be outside playing. Kids don't consider that people in cars can't see them. Kid's don't consider that playing in the driveway could be unsafe. Kid's don't make it a point to alert drivers to their location so that the driver will not make the mistake of driving over them. So, it is up to driver to take precautions in order to not have such a tragedy happen to them. These include:

• Backing into your parking space. I do this out of habit for a few reasons, one of which is that when I am driving towards a parking space, I have the opportunity to see the surrounding area and note if children are present or not before I start backing in. Obviously if there are children running around near where I am going to park, I will ensure they are out of the way before backing in. This tends to be safer then pulling into a parking space then backing out when I am ready to leave.
• I walk completely around my vehicle before getting in and leaving. Yes, the neighbors probably think I am daft and wonder what I am looking for, however it is a good habit to get into, again, for a couple of reasons, one of which is to ensure that there are no children/bikes/toys/animals/etc. in front of or behind my vehicle.
• I try to know where people are when I leave my home. Obviously you can't account for neighbor kids, but knowing exactly where your own family members are when you leave can help ensure that they aren't somewhere that they aren't supposed to be (also taking a moment to say goodbye or hug each family member before you leave home is a good thing to do in case you never see them again, but that is a different post...).
• When the kids were younger we had strict rules about where they could play (absolutely not in the driveway) and what happened to their stuff if they left it laying around, again, specifically not in the driveway (we may have been the only family that impounded bikes, skateboards, and any other items we found left laying in the driveway or road in front of our house).

Doing these few things only takes a minute or two extra each time you leave your home and could save a life. With the size and design of most cars these days, there is absolutely no way to see anyone--child or adult-- if they happen to be sitting (and in some cases even standing) behind your vehicle. I have seen these tragic accidents happen too many times over the years. The consequences for the person who drives over and kills a child (as well as the rest of the family) are too numerous to define. Suffice it to say there is no "getting over" the death of a child--siblings are impacted literally for the rest of their lives, marriages more often than not tend to dissolve after such tragedies, depression, post traumatic stress, and even suicides are not uncommon results of these kinds of accidents. A couple extra minutes of your time can help ensure that such a tragic accident doesn't happen to you or a loved one.

Don't Let Your Car Make You a Crime Victim

Most of us don't give a whole lot of thought to our cars. As long as they start up in the morning, we're usually content with that. We may curse them depending on the price of gas or the size of the car payment but basically cars are a way to get from point A to point B as easily as possible. What many people don't think about is that their car can help make them a crime victim. Here's some things to consider:

• Is your car on the "most stolen car" list? Check here and see.
• Do you drive in a city with the highest rates of car theft in the country? Check here and see.
• Do you just hand over your car key (or worse, your entire key chain) to car maintenance men or valets? Don't. Instead, lock up everything (console, trunk, glove box) and give them the valet key so the only lock they can open is the car door.
• Do you have the "home" setting on your GPS set to your home address? If you are driving a very nice car, thieves may think your home has equally nice stuff. With your GPS device, they can hit the "home" button and be led directly to your home. Side note: the home setting on my GPS device is set to the local sheriff's office address--it will get me close enough to my home destination yet still serve as an amusing deterrent to thieves.
• Do you have your home address on your car's registration? This is yet another way a thief can steal/ransack your nice luxury car then assume your home will have some nice up-scale items as well--and with the registration they will easily be able to find their way to your home. Side note: the address on my car's registration is the address to my office.
• Do you leave your garage door opener hanging on your visor (or other accessible place in the car)? Thieves can steal your car (or just your garage door opener), find your address, then easily let himself into your home. Side note: my garage door opener stays locked in the console until I need it.
• Does your car provide a paper trail of your entire life? I looked into a car the other day and I could give you a complete run-down on the owner. They are a student at the local university (college level books and crumpled up sweatshirt from the U), they live on fast food (wrappers from every fast food restaurant in a five mile radius were strewn about the car), their name is ___ (I will leave this blank for privacy purposes but it was clearly displayed on the mail left on the dashboard) and they live at ____ (again I will leave this blank but their address was clearly shown on their mail). Side note: my car looks like it came from a rental agency, it is clean inside, the only contents being my briefcase and other items I need for the day; a bag of emergency supplies is kept concealed in the trunk.
• How about the outside of your car? Is there an NRA sticker on it which may lead neighborhood car prowlers to think you have a nice stash of firearms in your home? Does it tell the world where your kids go to school? Again, the less information on your car, the better.
• What does the license plate say about you? Hopefully not you name--a criminal can catch you in a parking lot, call you by name, and immediately get you within victim range just by acting like they know you. The license plate holder can be used similarly--if the names of your grand kids are cleverly displayed on your license plate frame, a criminal can use a made up incident with your grandchild, called by name, to get your attention and possibly your purse/body/life.
• Do you know your license plate number? While rare, criminals have been known to switch plates from their stolen car with plates from a similar car that hasn't been reported stolen. If you notice something amiss with your car, say plates with different numbers on them, report this to the police immediately.

Fortunately most of us go about our lives without having anything negative happen but there are some things that only thieves would think of that we can use to make our cars (and ourselves) a bit safer.

Living in Your Car: A Compendium

I would like to write a detailed, useful post about living in your car, as many people are now fining themselves in this situation and the info may be useful for other reasons as well. I have never, however, had to live in my car so it wouldn't be very useful to the readers if I just throw out a bunch of platitudes. Being able to live in your car is a useful skill and even if you think it will never happen to you, the following information may prove quite useful at a later date:

• How to Live in Your Car Forum
• Car Living a Vital Skill
• Car Living and Communication
• Wikihow: How to Live in Your Car
• How to Live in Your Car
• The Other Mobile Home
• How to Live in Your Van

Anyway, that should give you some good general knowledge about living out of your vehicle should worse come to worse.

Driving Survival

As one commenter pointed out in yesterday's post, many people died in the Australian wildfires in their cars. Here's a bundle of car survival tips that may come in useful:

• Always keep your car in optimal condition. Everything on your car--from regular oil changes and newish wiper blades to brakes that work well and lights in good working order--should work as well as when it came from the factory.
• Always keep at least a half tank of gas in your car. You never know when a power outage, longer than expected drive, or five hour freeway back-up will keep you from filling up your tank and you don't want to be running on fumes at a critical moment.
• Always keep your car well stocked. What if you couldn't get home and were stranded in the boonies in your car? Do you have the supplies to keep yourself watered, fed, warm, and entertained for a day or two in your car? Make sure you have a car BOB, extra water, tools and supplies, and anything else you may need to stay self-sufficient in your car for a period of time.
• Practice driving. You may be quite used to driving in your city but what if you had to drive in the mountains? Maybe desert driving is part of your regular routine but driving in the snow isn't. In any case, you want to be well versed in all driving conditions. If a driving situation is new to you, practice (ie: go to a big snowy parking lot and practice your snow driving skills). Ditto for other driving skills. Can you parallel park? Make a quick three point turn? Back up a hundred yards rapidly and precisely? Do a backing 180? Many skills you can learn on your own, others are better to be learned from an experienced teacher. There are a number of schools that teach everything from basic driving skills to executive protection and combat driving skills; seek them out if necessary.
• Be prepared for the most common road disasters you are likely to come upon. In the woods, it is a good idea to carry a chainsaw with you as you never know when a tree will go down across the road and you need to clear it in order to go forward. A wench on your truck is also a nice to have item. In the city, you are more likely to come across a medical emergency or car fire so carry a blanket, some basic medical supplies, and a fire extinguisher. Always carry a cell phone and car charger.
• Have an evacuation plan. You don't want to figure out the how and where of evacuation as the police are driving down your street ordering everyone to leave. That's too late. Keep maps in your car and study them occasionally so you will know which routes are your plan A, B, and C to get away from your home or office. Have your car stocked and ready to go--you don't want to pack up your stuff after you've been given the evacuation order; this causes confusion and important things to be left behind. If possible, evacuate ahead of time. Figure that an evacuation (ie: because of an impending hurricane, a wild fire, a chemical spill, etc) will take much longer than usual and leave before you get the order. By paying attention to the news, you will know that a wildfire is in the area or that a hurricane is heading your way. Also note that if one of these quick-moving disasters is even in your general area, there is a good possibility that it could change directions and head straight for you so leave with plenty of time to spare.
• Consider your family members. Some things to consider: make sure everyone of age has good driving skills; they may need to be your driver in certain instances. If you have young children or medically frail relatives, pre-plan for their evacuation by keeping some of their necessary supplies (diapers, meds, etc) in the car and taking extra time to evacuate them. You will also need a plan D with these types of family members because while your sturdy teenager may find a few nights camping in the winter wilderness a fun experience, great grandpa or your newborn baby will not. Consider hotels or other shelters in these cases.
• Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you are a high profile target (ie: ambushes, kidnapping, and shooting in your direction is to be expected), you may want to consider an armored-type vehicle made for your protection that features run flat tires, bullet proof glass, and reinforced paneling. A good driver can be worth his weight in gold so get one if necessary. A professional security team will also be able to plan routes, set up decoys, and manage other facets of getting you from point A to point B if necessary.
• Some other pointers: I always keep one car in the garage and one outside; if I need to leave in a hurry I will have options. I always back into my parking space/area--it is safer and faster to pull forward out of a parking spot when you leave. My cars are as plain as can be--nothing on the inside or outside of the cars says "steal me". If you do want custom feature on your car, don't make them obvious (ie: if you must have a nitrous system in your car, don't put Nos stickers all over the outside of it; you want to have the ability to do some fancy maneuvering if necessary but you don't want the world to know about it).

Car Preps 101

If you rely on your car to get you where you are going and to shelter you in the case of an emergency, here are some preps that will ensure your car is ready to go when you are:

For the car itself:

• Have the oil changed regularly
• Check the tires and replace them when they become worn
• Keep your tires properly inflated and have them rotated on a regular basis
• Have your brakes serviced as needed
• Check all fluid levels regularly
• Service the radiator and have the coolant flushed as needed
• Have it tuned up as recommended in the owner's manual
• Keep the gas tank at least half full
• Keep it clean (you don't want people to look in and find your personal info on mail, etc)
• Always have it insured
• Pay it off as soon as possible

In your car's Emergency Bag:

• Fix A Flat
• Jumper cables
• Siphon
• Light sticks
• Flares
• Assorted plastic bags (ziplocs, garbage bags)
• Ice scraper
• Tire pressure gauge
• Duct tape
• Neon cloth streamer
• Tow chain or rope
• Foldable shovel
• Poncho (can be used to cover accident victims, cover you if you have to walk in the rain, or for something to lay on if you are working under the car)
• Battery-powered radio/extra batteries
• Flashlight with spare batteries
• Bungee cords
• Coins
• $200 cash
• Pen, pencil
• Paper
• Calling card
• Waterless hand cleaner
• Lighter/Matches
• Handi wipes
• First aid kit
• Leather gloves
• WD-40
• Zip ties
• Towel
• Blanket
• Tools (hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, wrench, needle nose pliers, socket set, etc)
• Super glue
• Electrical tape
• Utility knife

Also keep in your car:

• Cell phone charger
• Maps of your county, state, and nation
• Weapon
• Registration and insurance card
• 12 volt AC adaptor
• Fire extinguisher
• Spare 1 gallon gas can
• Usable spare tire/jack
• Car BOB
• Entertainment for the kids (crayons and coloring books) and for you (book)
• Bottled water
• Food (energy bars, dried fruit, nuts, candy, etc).