Last winter was extremely mild but just a few years before the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11 subjected us to widespread snow and ice for weeks on end, and temperatures regularly dropping well below -10C. That year saw “the coldest December in the last 100 years and the coldest across central England since 1890” according to the Met Office.
Vehicle breakdowns went through the roof; the AA for example had its busiest day ever on Monday 20th December 2010 when they were called out to over 28,000 breakdowns. Every one of those breakdowns is one person or one family stuck in their car or at the roadside in freezing conditions.
Not many of them were prepared, but you can be – by carrying a well-stocked emergency kit in your boot.
Don’t forget it might not be just you who breaks down, if you’ve got your spouse/partner/grannie/kids in the car you’ve got to consider their needs too. Breakdowns are no fun at the best of times, and a nightmare if you’ve got your family’s well-being to worry about.
You probably won’t want to carry all of the stuff outlined below in your emergency kit, but if your boot is generally empty anyway why not carry as much of it as possible? Or keep the main items in the boot and another box of “extras” in case you go on a long journey, or have to travel in dodgy-looking weather.
Breakdown assistance number
First and most important – make sure you have it in the glove box, and make sure you haven’t forgotten to renew it. I never go anywhere without it; if I’m ever stuck on the motorway with my wife and kids in the car I want somebody out a.s.a.p. and with no messing about. For less than £30 a year it’s well worth it.
Warmth
Chances are it’ll be cold when you break down, maybe raining or, if previous winters are anything to go by, even snowing. No fun standing out in bad weather on a wet motorway embankment waiting for help. Keep a picnic rug to sit on, and a blanket or two to wrap round yourself and/or your passengers. Spare gloves and scarves might be useful too.
Hand warmers are an option too – you can choose any from the pound shop plastic pouches to the stainless steel ones which run on lighter fuel.
A compact folding umbrella would be useful, and/or lightweight waterproof coats (cagoules) or those waterporoof ponchos you can get in pouches; again the pound shop is your friend here.
Water & Food
If the roads are clear you shouldn’t have to wait long for your breakdown assistance to arrive, but in severe weather they’re going to be very busy and you may be there for some time. At the very least have a bottle of drinking water and a few cereal bars to keep you going. If you’re taking a long drive with the family you might want to upgrade your kit to include small juice cartons, chocolate bars and biscuits.
If you have outdoor gear such as a camping stove then why not keep this in the boot with a small pan and some cans of beans* or one of those ready-to-heat camping meals? Well it might as well be in the car, where it could be useful, as sat unused in the garage at home. You might feel a bit daft cooking by the side of the M11 on a cold winter’s night but your hungry kids will think you’re a genius.
* Don’t forget a can opener or you’ll end up replaying the famous tinned pineapple scene from Three Men in a Boat.
Spare Parts
Something as simple as a torn wiper blade can have you stuck on the roadside – if it’s raining and your wipers can’t clear the screen, you’ll have to stop and wait until it stops, and in the UK in winter that could be a long wait. Wiper blades cost just a few pounds (you can even buy replacement arms with built-in blades at shops like Wilkinsons) so why not buy a couple in advance and keep them in your emergency kit.
The same applies to headlight bulbs; if you know how to change them then having spares available can save you driving with one headlight (not a great idea) or having to wait for assistance.
Other Equipment
Aerosol-style tyre inflator – this will help you limp home without changing a wheel if you need to. Might help if someone else is driving the car who isn’t experienced in changing a wheel.
Torch – for obvious reasons; country lanes and motorway embankments (outside cities) tend to be pretty dark.
Carpet squares or old mats – this idea may seem odd but wedging car mats under the wheels has got me out of tight spots twice, once down a snow-covered Scottish mountain road and once (the complete opposite weather-wise) off a sandy beachside verge in Lanzarote. If you’ve got floor mats in the car anyway then you can use those, if not then a useful addition to the emergency kit would be some old carpet tiles or anything you can wedge under the wheels for grip in snow, ice or sand.