Winter Car Emergency Kit Checklist

Most winter car trouble around here isn't a blizzard. It's a dead battery on a 12°F morning, a slide into a ditch on an icy overpass, or two hours parked on the turnpike behind a wreck. The kit below covers all three. It's based on the National Weather Service's winter car kit list, trimmed and organized so it fits in a trunk.

Winter car emergency kit checklist

Keep you warm

• Blankets or sleeping bags (emergency blankets take up almost no room)
• Hat, gloves and a warm layer for each person who usually rides
• Hand and foot warmers
• Sturdy boots, or a spare pair in the trunk if you drive in dress shoes

Help you be seen and get help

• Flashlight or headlamp, with spare or charged batteries
• Phone charging cable and a car charger
• Warning triangle or reflectors
• A bright cloth to tie to the antenna or door
• Battery or hand-crank radio

Get you moving again

• Jumper cables (cold is hard on batteries)
• Ice scraper and snow brush, even if you park in a garage
• Small shovel
• Sand or non-clumping cat litter for traction
• Tow strap
• Basic tools: pliers, wrench, screwdriver

Keep you going

• Water
• High-calorie, non-perishable snacks: nuts, energy bars, food bars
• First-aid kit and any essential medicines you carry
• Diapers, formula and pet supplies if they ride with you

Before you drive in winter weather

• Check the forecast and road conditions before you leave (511 or your state DOT's road map).
• Keep the gas tank near full. It gives you heat if you're stranded and helps keep ice out of the fuel lines.
• Check fluids, lights, heater, wipers and tires before the season starts.
• Tell someone your route and when you expect to arrive.
• If the temperature is near freezing, drive like the road is icy. Bridges and overpasses freeze first.

If you get stuck

This is straight from the National Weather Service's winter storm guidance:

1. Stay with the car. It's shelter, and it's easier to find than a person on foot.
2. Call for help and tell them exactly where you are.
3. Run the engine about 10 minutes each hour for heat, with a window cracked open a little.
4. Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow. A blocked tailpipe can fill the car with carbon monoxide.
5. Be visible: turn on the dome light when the engine is running, and tie a bright cloth to the antenna or door.
6. Keep moving a little: move your arms, legs, fingers and toes to stay warm, and if there's more than one of you, take turns sleeping.

An Oklahoma note

Our winters are more ice than snow. During the December 2007 ice storm, the NWS Tulsa office noted that bridges and overpasses froze up and caused travel problems even while ground temperatures kept many surface roads from icing. The same storm left hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans without power, and statewide deaths were mostly from car accidents. If an ice storm is in the forecast, the safest trip is the one you put off.

Build it or buy it

You can build this kit from the garage and the pantry. If you'd rather have the core of it in one bag, here's what ours cover.

Building a home kit too? Start with the 72-hour emergency kit checklist, or print our free checklist, which includes this car list.

Sources

1. National Weather Service: Prepare for Cold Weather (winter car kit list)
2. National Weather Service: Prepare for a Winter Storm
3. National Weather Service: Caught in a Winter Storm
4. NWS Tulsa: Dec. 9-10, 2007 Ice Storm Summary
5. NWS Norman: The December 8-11, 2007 Ice Storm in Oklahoma
6. Ready.gov: Winter Storms & Extreme Cold