Winter Car Kit
by Holly Ralston Oyler

Why You Need One
Medical Concerns
A Word About Medications and Health Concerns
Thank You Notes
Pull Out The Oldies
Quick Tips
Pack These Items In Your Bag

Why You Need One

Quite a few years ago Louisville experienced a horrific winter storm that crippled the city for over a week. The Governor declared a state of emergency and closed all the roads and expressways. Unfortunately, there were thousands of cars and people on the roads at the time and it took an extremely long time to rescue everyone. Cars were abandoned and people tried to walk to safety. Most made it without problems, but there were also a few that didn’t.

Medical Concerns

At the time I was mainly working with medical clients, some of which were on the roads going or coming from treatment that day. Louisville is a regional treatment area, so some traveled a long distance to get here. Even though I was snug-as-a-bug and warm curled up in front of the TV watching this horrible event unfold the writer side of me kicked in full gear and I started working on a brochure to prevent such a thing from happening again. When I first started handing it out to my clients, most would just laugh and say a storm like that could never happen again. A few clients packed their bags and put them in their cars for the duration of the winter months.

A Word About Medications and Health Concerns

You should always travel with extra doses of your medicaions - just to be safe. Many medications work on a time release method, so missing a dose can be a problem.

Some medications are light, heat and/or cold sensitive, you you need to house them appropriately.
If you are traveling across state lines besure your medications are in their pharmacy containers or that you have your prescription papers with you.

If you have a chronic medical problem, please have the following information in your car for emergency personal to view;

Proper Identification
You doctors phone numbers and name
Your doctors office contact information
A relative's contact information that can tell them about you if you are rendered unable to do so.
A full list of all medications you may be taking.
A full list of any special treatments you may be taking (chemotherapy, radiation, heart therarpy, etc.)
Your blood type
Any allergies you may have

Thank You Notes

Then the thank you calls and notes started coming in. Thankfully, most never needed everything that was in their bag, but having that “one” thing that made a difference when needed was all that mattered.

Pull Out The Oldies

We are not talking fashion statement here – only comfort, so nothing has to be in great condition or color coordinated. Pull out all the “oldies” in your closet and you will be set.

Quick Tips

• If you travel 45-minutes or more away from home, be sure you top off your gas tank when it reaches ¾ full. If you get stuck, you want to be able to run your car for 15-minutes every hour to keep warm. During this run time plug in your PDA/Phone chargers to keep those items available for use. If you need to make an emergency call, turn your car on to do so. This not the time to make call backs or talk with friends.
• I suggest you print the list for future reference and put a copy of it in the bag, on top – so you can mark off the item you will “borrow” sometime soon for replacement.
• I also suggest keeping the bag of batteries on the top so you can rotate them since cold weather will take a battery down in a shorter period of time than normal in the winter months.
• You will need one of each item for each person that travels in the car with you.
• The bag needs to be inside the car – not in the trunk. This keeps you from getting cold and wet feet/hands
• If you have children and drive a van I suggest using a storage box or small suit case.

Pack These Items In Your Bag

o Gloves
o Rubber boots or water-resistant boots
o Long scarf for wrapping
o Socks
o Watch/clock
o Reading material/games, etc.
o Tissues, paper towels and TP
o 2-extra large Zip-Loc® bags (don’t ask, common sense will take over when you need them)
o Flashlight and extra batteries
o PDA/Phone chargers (if they are not kept in the car already)
o Pen/paper
o Flares/Emergency sign
o First Aid Kit
o Bottle Water – small bottles
o Vaseline & lip balm
o Long sleeve tee and turtleneck shirts (cotton if you have sensitive skin)
o Extra batteries to fit items in bag that use them
o Change purse with extra money (think cab fare or towing expenses)
o Snacks, gum, mints, etc.

Winter Car Kit by Holly Ralston Oyler

Late-Breaking News!

Winter Car Kit
by Holly Ralston Oyler