Use these road trip emergency prep checklists to get happily and safely on your way, whether you’re headed cross-state or cross-country.
Tip: Print this page and keep it in your car’s glove compartment, if there’s room in addition to your driving gloves :-).
Give Your Car a Once-Over
- Air conditioner
- Anti freeze/coolant
- Battery
- Brakes
- Defroster
- Fuel & air filters
- Headlights & hazard lights
- Heater
- Oil
- Tires
- Windshield washers & fluid
Update Your Car Emergency Kit
- Blankets
- Cell phone charger
- Emergency info (Tip: If you use Habitudes’ Emergency Info template, delete sensitive details from printout.)
- Car keys, extra set
- Charging station map
- Fire extinguisher
- First aid kit
- Flashlight & extra batteries
- Food, non-perishable
- Ice scraper
- Jumper cables
- Maps (Tip: Think maps are a thing of the past? Google “What can make GPS not work?”)
- Roadside assistance member card (Tip: If you don’t have one, see AAA.)
- Tire repair kit and inflator
- Rain poncho
- Reflective triangle or flares
- Safety vest (reflective or bright color)
- Spare tire, jack & lug wrench
- Tire repair kit & inflator
- Water
- Window breaker & seat belt cutter
- Work gloves
Where to Find More Road Trip Emergency Prep and Safety Tips
The most useful info I’ve found is on the Federal Government’s Ready.gov Car Safety website. Unfortunately it may be “Here today. Gone tomorrow.” Yesterday I found this message: “Ready.gov is being updated to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Find More Links You Can Really Use at HabiLinks Guide
The internet is full of great resources, but page after page of search results can be too much of a good thing! We search for useful information in eighteen lifestyle categories, so you don’t have to. When we find the link with the most useful content it becomes a HabiLink, one of the chosen few! Unlike other web guides or review sites, we don’t accept payment for listings. We simply think they’re the best at what they do. You’ll find more useful emergency information in the Emergency Preparedness category at HabiLinks. When you’re looking for road trip emergency prep help, you can depend on HabiLinks and the HabiTalk blog for links you can really use.