What Every Driver Needs To Have With Them On The Road

We all know that drivers have to be responsible. For one, that’s a big expensive piece of metal you’ve got. You want to look after it so your money isn’t going down the drain. But you should be taking care of yourself and your car with more than just maintenance. There are some things that you should never leave behind you when you’re on the road. Whether it’s to save you from getting lost and saving you time. Or perhaps it’s keeping you safe and able to react to any situation you find yourself on. Look at four top things drivers shouldn’t leave home without.

Image By: stux
Image By: stux

GPS

Where would be without satellite navigation? Travelling on a dark intimidating road might have been a recipe for a horror film once, but a GPS makes it just another road on your destination. But that’s not all they do. GPS offer an extra bit of security to your car. Just as you can track your own location, you can also use it to track the location of your car if it gets stolen. Some GPS even have features that track and alert you to when you’re going over the speed limit. These gadgets are likely only going to get better in future, too.

Emergency kit

A GPS can’t solve all your problems, naturally. At some point you might very well find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere. Cars break down all the time, sometimes without warning. So you need to be prepared for that eventuality. That’s the primary reason you need an emergency kit. The things you need to keep in your car include a spare tire, jack and jump cables to help you get started up again. But that’s not all. You should keep some long-lasting food and blankets in case you’re stuck in the cold. Keep a fully charged mobile phone turned off, as well.

Contacts

Keep the phone because you may very well have need of it. For the same reason you should take a list of emergency contact numbers wherever you go. Either in the glove compartment or somewhere else on the car. Everyone knows to call the emergency services, but there are others you might need to call. Your insurance company, for one. Having a local mechanic on call will help. Keep at least one contact within the family on your list, too. One that you would never hope to use but should keep anyway is a personal injury attorney.

Image By: stux
Image By: stux

A clear head

It’s not just things to help you physically you should keep, but a head of knowledge on what to do in a bad situation. Mostly, you should remember what to do when you’ve broken down. You may be waiting for a long time, for instance, but you should never move from your car. Make it as visible as possible, as well. Diversion lights and a high visibility jacket are a regular part of many emergency kits because of that. If you’re in a dark area, stay in the car while you wait.

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