Winter Is Upon Us Once Again
Winter is upon us once again, bringing unpleasant, risky and even downright dangerous driving conditions.
It makes good sense to always carry a winter driving kit, if you pop it in a hold-all it will keep it all secure and you can easily transfer it if you use a different car. Of course your kit will vary depending upon where your journey is to be made, you should be fully equipped for remote, rural areas but a smaller kit will be ample if you are popping out to the shops in densely populated, urban areas.
If you don’t have to make that journey then the best advice is to stay at home!
If you have no choice then you need to make sure you are as safe as possible by ensuring your car is in tip top condition for winter driving and that you are fully prepared to deal with getting stuck.
Small kit
Okay so you may not be going far but you can still get stuck and it can get very cold, very quickly without the engine running and the heater on. The elderly and those with young children should always try to carry a small winter kit.
- Blanket
- Warm coat
- High visibility jacket or vest
- Boots, wellingtons for floods
- Gloves, preferably thermal
- Hat, preferably thermal
- Torch
- First aid kit
- Jump leads
- Warning triangle
- Ice scraper
- De-icer
- Shovel
- Cat litter
- Mobile phone and charger
Large kit
For longer journeys or for those living in more rural areas where help may not be so quickly at hand, the larger kit is advised.
- One sleeping bag per person is ideal but blankets are also acceptable.
- Inflatable pillows
- Spare, warm coat
- High visibility jacket or vest
- Warm socks, preferably thermal
- Boots, wellingtons for floods
- Gloves, preferably thermal
- Hand warmers
- Hat, preferably thermal
- Torch
- First aid kit
- Regular medication
- Mobile phone charger
- Jump leads
- Ice scraper
- De-icer
- Shovel
- Cat litter
- Tow rope
- Emergency warning triangle
- Chocolate bars
- Dried fruit and nuts
- Biscuits
- Several bottles of drinking water
- Kitchen roll
- Thermos flasks full of boiling water
- Packets of soup
- Plastic cups
- Portable radio
- Power pack
- Map
- Compass
Extreme Kit
Remote, mountainous, flood plains, etc. Those living in sparsely populated, extreme geographical environments will already be aware of the risks when harsh weather arrives.
The extreme kit should include everything in the large kit but add:
- Camping stove, for use in well ventilated areas
- Spare camping stove gas
- Matches
- Fire extinguisher