You'll probably be impressed with some car survival kits out there that have 37 items in their first aid kits, but when you look at what's included, it's only: 20 band-aids; 2 gauze pads; 4 alcohol wipes; 1 butterfly bandage; and 10 cotton swabs - yep! that's a total of 37 items - but will these items really be useful in a real emergency? If you open your car kit at the scene of an accident you better hope your supplies are better than those 37 items.
What you need to have are items that will be able to treat life-threatening injuries. That means you need items like trauma dressings to truly be able to control serious bleeding for a victim of a car accident. As a retired professional firefighter and first aid instructor, I believe in providing first aid supplies to get the job done in a real emergency.
So what do you really need?
Car Survival Kit Content Checklist
Here are 5 MUST-HAVE supplies in your car.
1. First Aid
Bandaids and gauze rolls are always good to have handy for small injuries but for real-world life-threatening car accidents, you will need more. You need: trauma dressings, 4x4 gauze pads to control bleeding, EMT shears, triangular bandage, antiseptic wipes to clean and disinfect wounds. You will also need thermal blanket for shock. These are all included in our Car Survival Kit with the ideal quantity to have in each of your cars.
Feel free to add a CPR face shield, Burn Gel Dressing, Splint, etc. For a complete first-aid kit (great for home, office, workshop, car, school) you can get the All-Purpose First Aid kit here.
A great addition to car preparedness and one of our biggest sellers is our Emergency Car Window Breaker with Seatbelt Cutter - a great tool to escape when trapped in your car following an accident.
2. Warmth
A thermal blanket can be used in many ways to keep warm, when camping, as a sun-shield, keeping victims warm to prevent shock, you can even use it to make fire. Best of all, it's only $1.49.
3. Light
Flashlights can be used to easily check your oil and water level and be able to see at night. Lightsticks, on the other hand, are very useful for survival - why?
Lightsticks are safer than road flares, which can start fires at an accident scene and they are visible for miles while providing light for 12 hrs. these things could save your life.
4. Water
Do you store those plastic bottled water in your car for months? Those are not safe to drink. Hot temperatures grow bacteria and the heat can affect plastic to release chemicals into the water, making them unsafe to drink.
Emergency Water Pouches have a 5-year shelf life because of high tech packaging that preserves this purified and sterilized water for five years. Each sealed 4.2 ounces ration of water is unaffected by temperature extremes and contains water safe enough for first aid treatment i.e. flushing wounds and of course, drinking.
5. Food
Snacks are always good to have when traveling but if you are looking for long term storage, an emergency food bar is a great option.
Food Bars have a 5-year shelf life and each pack provides 3 days of food per person. They store well in heat, even in the trunk of your car. They are non-thirst provoking and made from all-natural ingredients.