Daily Slideshow: Must-Have Items for Your Mustang Safety Kit

Your Brain is the Most Important Item

A multitude of situations could occur to you at any given time.  Some of them may the direct result of your action/inaction.  Most of them are not. The world is just unpredictable like that. Either way, being prepared helps to mitigate the fallout from incidents or accidents.  The most important item in your safety kit is your brain.

Incidents, such as a flat tire, a minor fender bender, or a breakdown are never fun.  Despite this, it's wise to think about these situations and run mental exercises about said situations.  Why run mental drills?

A rule taught in flight school, which works extremely well is "Fly the airplane".  Obviously, you're not flying an aircraft.  In this case, we adapt this to your situation: "Drive the car!".  If an incident or accident occurs, don't panic.  Continue to maintain control of the vehicle and remain aware of your surroundings.  Panicking causes the brain to take a backseat to emotion.  However, if one has never been in that situation before, one will not know how to act and panic can easily set in place.  This is why running the mental drills are so very important. 

Here are a few items that may be a good primer for mental drills:

• What will likely happen when you have a tire blowout at highway speeds?
• How will you respond when a breakdown occurs?
• Most people in this age will "call for help".  What if that help is 12 hours away?
• Are you equipped to handle medical emergencies?
• What will you do if there is a major accident?
• How will you respond to a medical emergency when First Responders are 15+ minutes away?

Automotive Preparedness Kits

While continually running mental drills, one should build up their automotive kit.  The kit can be broken down into a few subsets.  The first is automotive related material.  When getting automotive items, avoid the pre-packaged kits.  They usually over-charge and under-deliver.  The components are often inferior and one can build a much better kit for about the same price. Here is a list of items to consider:

• Jumper cables
• Avoid the small ones.  The lower the gauge (wire thickness), the better.  Lower numbers are thicker (like golf, lower numbers are better).  A good idea is to get nothing smaller than an 8-gauge jumper cable set.  Also, mind the length of the cables.   Lower gauge wires can support longer lengths of cable.
• Another great option for those that lack mechanical aptitude (or space in your vehicle) is a jumper battery.  They have gotten considerably smaller over the years.  IF you go this route, avoid the cheap ones.
• Tire inflator 
• Avoid the "Fix-a-flat" stuff.  It will ruin your wheel and will void any warranty you may have with wheels and tires.  There are many on the market, find one that works for you.  A recommendation is one that comes in a storage bag, is long enough to reach most tires and will inflate a car tire in under 15 minutes (versus over one hour for cheaper ones). While the newer models come with an inflator, I'm still partial to the aftermarket variety.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a spare, ensure it remains properly inflated.  Consider this an item on your monthly maintenance checklist.  Also, know how to change a spare.  It's not hard, my 9-year old daughter can do it with some assistance (she's not strong enough to break the torque on the lug nuts...yet).
• As you practice changing installing a spare tire in the safety of your driveway, you will find the factory-supplied tools are minimal and barely work.  Invest in a good lug wrench that gives you the leverage to break the torque on the lug nuts.  A 4-way, or cross, the wrench is a good option.  Some opt for an electric (12 Volt or wireless) impact wrench.  As with anything complex, they fail and do not always work.  Since space is of concern, consider a 4-way wrench that folds up.
• Spare fuses, 12 Volt cell phone charger, basic tools, and rescue tape (much better than the F4 tape used in the military).
• Basic tool set should include common (straight), cross tip (Phillips #2), and a small metric socket set. 
• This allows you to do basic repairs if needed.  If not able to do so, those mechanically inclined can help.
• With prior experience as proof, rescue tape (with packing tape to prevent unwinding) can repair radiator hoses and hold for long periods of time (I've had a repair last over a year when I was overseas). 

Safety First (or was it Third?)

Regardless of the type of incident, you may encounter, the most dangerous place to be is outside your vehicle.  Stay in your vehicle.  Times to evacuate your vehicle would include (but not limited to): sinking in quicksand or water, a fire, or an unwanted guest in your vehicle... such as bees, bears, bad guys, ex-girlfriends, lions, and tigers.  If you must venture out of your vehicle, keep in mind a few things:

• All modern vehicles come equipped with turn signals and hazards.  Turn on the hazards when stopped for emergencies, regardless if you get out.
• Have a reflective vest handy and wear it (day or night).  More visibility will keep you alive.
• Keep a flashlight and spare batteries in your vehicle.  Mag Lights also have light wand attachments which come in handy for flagging people down.  The large mag lights can also be used as a bludgeoning device if required.  However, they are outlawed in some states (like the People's Republic of California).
• Being that space is of a premium, some mag lights may be hard to store.  There are tiny lights that put out well over 1,000 lumens (meaning: bright enough to light up someone's life).
• Keep electronic flares available.  Having used them dozens of times, these are, arguably, the best investment for visibility during roadside stops or emergencies.  They are a great tool for visibility and for attracting help from motorist assist or law enforcement.  More drivers will move over a lane with these than with most other devices.  Most of them have a magnet allowing you to attach it to a vehicles metal structure.

All About You

Are you prepared?  What about your needs?  Do you have other people or pets in your vehicle on a regular basis? Here are a few pointers:

• Keep snacks, bottles of water, and an additional medication that can withstand vehicle temperatures.
• Keep an IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) for basic/minor injuries.
• Keep a trauma kit in your vehicle (ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE TRAINING).
• GET TRAINING on how to use items such as Quick Clot, Israeli Bandage, tourniquet, and other items.  Training should include CPR/Rescue Breathing.
• Keep an extra set of work gloves and seasonal appropriate accessories.
• Items such as winter gloves, hat, scarf, sunglasses, boots or walking shoes, and sunscreen.
• Be mindful of additional items for other people or animals.
• Do you carry a firearm?  If so, carry it on yourself (not in your purse, murse, or in your glove box).  Be mindful of the laws in the states where you will be driving.

Additional Items to Consider

While most people will never leave the Sub/Urban jungle, there may be a time in which additional items are necessary. Having life lessons such as being stuck in the middle of nowhere for multiple days, to breakdowns in the desert, and even being stuck in snow are great teachers.  At least TWICE A YEAR (usually during season changes), go through your first aid kits for expired items.  Check batteries inside devices. Also, change out seasonal items in your kit.  Anything with little use gets removed from the kit.  The items, ideally, should serve more than one purpose.

I've pared down the list to be mindful of the limited space in a Mustang.  Some items included are:

• MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).  Great option for meals when stuck somewhere.
• Whistle, mirror, extra flashlights, fire starters (all fit into small ziplock bags).
• Ice scraper, snow brush, or a small bag of kitty litter (additional traction in the winter is always helpful)
• Additional ammo or magazines beyond what you would carry on yourself (If you do carry a firearm, mind state laws).

While some may find these items excessive, personal experience has found that these items have been used and remain useful.  As with most things in life, take it with a grain of salt.  You will find out what works best for you.  Hopefully, this has been a primer to reassess the items in your custom vehicle safety kit and reassess your skill sets.  Acquire the items needed and taking the training to improve yourself.  It may save your life, a family member's life, or someone else.

This is NOT an all-encompassing list for motorist preparedness.  Feel free to chime in with what you put in your Mustang.  How do you store it?  What should be added or removed from the list?  Share your experiences about what helped or what you learned.  And finally, be safe.

>>Join the conversation about Must-Haves for Your Safety Kit here in The Mustang Source.

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