Driving in some countries (like France) requires carrying a safety kit in the car at all times.
Reflective safety vest
First aid kit
Headlight anti-glare stickers
Replacements for all the light bulbs
While the concept seems like a good idea, I can’t claim to embrace this fully, at least by my own actions. My car safety kit only includes the first aid kit components, a rope, and a few hand tools. Maybe a few spare bulbs, but not for all of the vehicle’s bulbs. I carry a portable light gadget w/my truck than can be connected to the truck’s battery, mainly to illuminate the engine compartment if needed fix something at night. It could be used as a warning light I suppose.
Just curious what you folks carry in your safety kit? It seems like carrying some sort of fire-proof gloves might be important, to rescue someone from a car fire.
I think most of Europe requires warning triangles and road flares as well. We always had to add them when we shipped project cars to Europe for test or show. Never had to add light bulbs. I know the safety vest is a somewhat recent addition.
I carry spare tires and the tools to change a tire. Also a cell phone. Little else. I keep a new type fire extinghisher in my Mustang. It looks and acts like a flare but the gas released when it burns is a fire suppressant. Called Element.
My truck carries jumper cables, a snatch strap, rain suit, a spare quart of oil and some bungee cords. And a fire extinguisher. But it has handy storage compartments just begging for that stuff.
I carry a lot of stuff but no light bulbs. Not something you do on the road and the license plate bulbs outside of headlights have been the only ones needing replacement. I have my tool box with at lot including sockets etc. but many used at home. First aid kit, paper towels, bungees, rope, etc. depending on the car. I have oil and bungees with the spare tire. If you are loaded up and had to change tires, I probably would not be able to get the hatch closed with the tire in the back so would need a bungee. Of course around here you carry cold weather gear like boots and a snow mobile suit. I have pretty much just outfitted the cars with the strap on head lamps and extra batteries. Depends where I’m going and for how long for other stuff. One thing I added was a length of wire and a $2 tool for ubstopping a sink. At the rental condo the sink stopped up and hard a hard time unstopping it. If going to the kids house I’ll throw in basic handyman tools since there always seems to be something that needs attention.
One thing to keep in mind that the auto club will gladly come out and change your tire with the spare, but if you have no spare, it will be a tow to a service provider for a repair or new tire. Most of us can change a tire if we have one.
In themergencyehicles:
Garbage bags: Weighothing. Inflated and tied for floats, insulation, rain/blizzard coats, clean dry surface when putting on spare.
100 feet of 1/4 inch polypropylene rope. Towing, horse lead, waterescue, pull electricaline.
Tab-open cans of baked beans, bottled water, toilet paper.
LED flashlights. Butane lighter. Gallon of windshield washer fluid
Heavyvork gloves. Shovel.
Reflective warm coat. Jump suit. Ski caps
Everything fits under and behindriver seat. In center console: 9mm automatic, 1 in chamber. 2nd 15-round magazine
Recently put my legs inside garbage bag and pulled up to waisto stayvarm when Interstate closed for two+ hours.
Warm quilt used many times sleeping in the vehicle.
(Blood platelets packed in room-temperature gel packs in.sulated boxes good for 24-hours.)
When blizzardelay, I placed the box in an inflated garage bag.
Hospital measures temperature. 'Twas .2º above rejection temperature.
That brings back memories from many years ago. Around the time that my friends and I graduated from college and began seeking jobs as teachers, I realized that many of us would likely have a long daily commute. I also realized that one of my friends was totally clueless when it came to anything automotive, so I offered to teach him how to change a tire. Unfortunately, he decided to not let me demonstrate this skill for him.
Fast forward about 8 months later, and I was talking to that friend on the phone. He mentioned that he had gotten a flat on the way home from work, and I asked him what he did. Charlie’s response was, “I waited until someone came along to help me”.
I asked how long that had taken, and his response was… “Close to 4 hours”.
Good ideas. I also carry a fire extinguisher. For my truck, but not the Corolla. I’ve never carried road flares. Seems like a bad idea to purposely carry material that catches fire and burns at a high temperature. But I see those tv advertisements for the battery operated flashing types, about the size of a hockey puck. They look like they’d work pretty good. I suppose putting on a safety vest would help, but have no idea why they focus so much att’n on that particular item. Heavy duty gloves seem a higher priority.
Ah, probably the “lizard flare” from the “bulbhead” company - selling junk and doing advertising that’s so misleading that they should be sued. The lizard flare one is probably the worst. The fake-cop narrator guy in fake-cop guard says “with lizard flare help is on the way” as in the background some cop is walking up to some woman’s car with a gas can. AYFKM? I’ve actually considered filing a complaint with the FTC about it - it’s not “harmless” and misleading. It wildly mis-informs people, and I can easily see people being taken in by it and having a completely false sense of security.
I’d be comfortable with just having some reflective orange/red hazard triangles.
Yes, I think you are correct, that tv product is called the “lizard flare”. I’m not sure why you think the advert is misleading. Do you mean that the advert suggests the police will be there to help soon after you show the flares? I’ll grant that’s misleading, but such is the case w/most adverts.
In misleading terms it goes way over the top past most ads. Just pay more attention next time you see it to that line and specific scene I mentioned. You’ll see it. (It implies a) that if you activate the lizard flare, somehow the cops will know, and b) that they’ll be your free roadside assistance and come to the rescue. It’s absurd).
Not living in the Snow Belt, a Cell phone with the emergency number, set of jumper cables, complete emergency tire replacement kit and a set of emegency flares / reflective safety devices seems to do the trick.
However all of the above are worthless if you don’t know how to safely use them, before my kids ever got behind the wheel they had to demonstrate their ability in the driveway.
And since “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, this also included multiple lectures and testing on how to check and replinish all fluids and tire inflation, including the often neglected spare tire, .
I don’t know, but my guess, the anti-glare stickers are placed over certain portions of the headlights if they are judged (by the police presumably) to be too bright. Used to prevent blinding oncoming drivers when driving at night. Euro-folks seem to take this problem pretty seriously. Some cars even have a dashboard control that allows the driver to change the up/down direction of the headlight beam. Presumably if you had that control you wouldn’t have to use the stickers.
