As we get older, cars become less of something that gets us from point A to point B and more of a necessity.
Not only do we need to use cars to get from one place to another, but they also double as storage spaces, private places, and, in the worst of cases, shelter.
Because of their importance in our lives, it's good to have a few things tin your car to keep you prepared. When I got my first car, my mom stocked it with the usual supplies: jumper cables, ice scraper, spare tire, and a roll of quarters. She also added a blanket, a powerful flashlight, and a knife.
While I've never needed to the knife, I was glad to know it was there, and the other items have all come in handy.
I also like to put a change of clothes in my car. You never know when someone will cut you off in the road, making you spill coffee all over your white blouse.
Redditors know there are other important things to always keep in your car, and are ready to share.
It all started when Redditor Ace-Venturaa asked:
"What’s one item everyone should have in their car?"
Sick Bag
"A barf bucket. Had my dog and my kid both puke in my car. Darn dog couldn't hold the bucket."
– boegsppp
Break Out
"And a small fire extinguisher, and one of those things for breaking windows in case of an accident and the doors don’t open."
– Quick-Oil-5259
"Like, a small fire extinguisher?"
– anon10122333
Safety First...And Always
"First aid kit"
– ApolloApproaches
"In Germany it is required to have a first aid kit, reflective triangles, and reflective vests in every car"
– britishbrick
Super Important
"Some kind of disposable paper like a napkin, kleenex, baby wipes, even an old shop towel. Nothing worse than needing to blow your nose in your car and you have nothing at all to use."
– sbourwest
"A stack of chipotle napkins"
– Avocadofarmer32
"Everyone should have somewhere in their car to store some of that unnecessary amount of napkins fast food places give us."
– AloyTheN0ra
Capture The Moments
"Seriously, a dashcam."
– Sparksman91
"True. Half of having insurance is.. proof."
– A40
"At this point I'm surprised they're not included by manufacturer, or insurance companies don't just pay for them. Even if they're vampires who would never pay a cent they aren't forced to, simply removing all the headache involved in this stuff has to be worth it on their end."
– SigmaBallsLol
"Person backs into your car. Claims you hit them. Dash cam settles it."
"Person claims you ran a red light (when they did), and that's why there was a crash. Dash cam settles it."
"Etc."
"Insurance believes liars the same as honest people - unless there is evidence. Like a dash cam record."
"I bought mine used, $15, two years ago. Once a month or so I check that it's still working. Insurance insurance, and maybe someday it'll see a bigfoot, or a meteor..."
– A40
Back On The Road
"Jumper cables"
– wildling-woman
"Better yet a portable jump starter battery (like the NOCO boost). Those things are amazing. They hold a charge for months in blazing hot or freezing cold temps. They are the size of a brick. And best of all since they attach to the dead battery directly, you don't have to hope your jumper cables are long enough. They also have usb plugs to charge a phone or tablet."
– Tuesday2017
Let There Be Light
"Flash light. They are cheap can be stored for years and take up little space.,It's better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it."
– Euphoric-Beat-7206
"I keep a headlamp instead of a flashlight. That way I can have both hands if I need to change a tire or something."
– Local-Finance8389
Cozy And Warm
"A blanket. Shock from a traumatic injury can cause a sharp drop in body temperature."
– No_Library_5120
"After my bad wreck a few years back, I was in shock and I remember I felt so cold. I had no blanket in my car, nor did anyone else. It was middle of summer in the southern US. I felt like it was winter"
– Katsu_39
Money, Money, Money
"Emergency cash, I keep like $40 usd"
– Dudebrohoe
"If you're going on a road trip, stash enough cash to pay for gas to get back. If you lose your wallet you can still get home."
– banjowashisnamo
"That's a good one. Especially if you lost wallet and phone."
– lolben1
Always
"A licensed competent driver."
– Improvedandconfused
"And a can of pepper spray to take care of annoying backseat drivers."
– sleepyJoesBidet
Make A List
"1- tourniquet. Preferably one inside of a good first aid kid."
"2- glass breaker. In the unlikely event you get stuck in the car as it’s going underwater, a glass breaker / seatbelt cutter combo tool can get you out safely. If you have electric windows, a tiny amount of water can disable the electronic door locks and window buttons, a spring loaded glass breaker will make short work of it. Even if you don’t have a specialized spring loaded glass breaker, something that comes to a sharp point (like a screw driver) that can be used to break the glass out can save your life."
"3- emergency blanket. The Mylar ones that look like aluminum foil cost like 2-3 dollars. If your car breaks down and it’s snowing out, you can use it to stay warm far longer than just running the heater in the car will last. The shiny foil looking side reflects your body heat back at you, and you can use it to trap heat from the car around your body core. The more expensive ones are a little better and less likely to rip, but even the cheap ones are better than nothing. Even if you don’t get an emergency blanket, a normal quilt in the trunk isn’t a bad idea either."
"4- a lighter. A lot of cars come without cigarette lighters now apparently. In an emergency you could try rigging something up using your car battery to start a fire to either stay warm or signal someone. Or you could just flick a bic. Lighters cost 50 cents. It’s not a big investment and it might save your life."
"5- flashlight. This one requires a little more maintenance than everything else I said, as you’ll have to change the batteries every once in a while even if you don’t use it. A cheap 1-2$ LED flashlight can help immensely in a lot of situations. From having a flat and needing to see to change it to locking yourself out of your house, or needing to signal someone for help so you don’t get hit on a highway, or needing to look for a key you drop that bounces under the car or into a ditch. This one can be as simple as a keychain flashlight you put on the car keys. Headlamp is even better because you can either be hands free or use it like a normal flashlight if need be."
– PerInception
Laughing At Clouds
"an umbrella"
– KermitMadMan
"I was beginning to think I didn’t have anything on these lists and finally found one lol"
– Joshifi3d
Absolutely
"I haven't seen anybody mention this but sunglasses. You really don't want to be caught with the full blast of the sun in your eyes while you're driving. It can seriously blind you for long enough for an accident to happen"
– advancedwarlord
I have to go restock my car!