When you’re driving out in remote areas in the winter, getting stuck can put your life at serious risk. Therefore, it’s vital every responsible driver knows what to do if your car breaks down during the winter. Check through this simple advice for what to do in this scary time to make sure you come out okay.
Call for Help
Phoning someone might seem a little obvious, but through all the stress of dealing with the breakdown, you might forget to call for help. Once you’re able to reach a tow truck or friend to pick you up, do everything in your power to make sure that the phone battery lasts as long as possible. If they need to reach you, you don’t want to have a dead cell. So, put your phone in low battery mode and turn off app notifications. Otherwise, your phone might be running in the background without you even knowing about it.
Sporadically Start the Car
Occasionally turn the car on for a few minutes to keep you warm. Don’t worry about saving your gas; not getting hyperthermia is more important. However, make sure that you don’t run the car too long at a time because you want to be able to preserve your fuel for as long as possible since you don’t know how long you’ll have to wait.
Also, make sure that there isn’t snow clogging your exhaust pipe. Otherwise, you’ll be accidentally leaking carbon monoxide into the cabin of the vehicle, which can be fatal.
Be Prepared
All responsible drivers that live in cold climate areas need to be prepared for an accident. You never know when your car will break down, and if it happens out in a rural area, you could be stranded on your own. In these cases, you’ll need to have the proper tools and supplies to help yourself. In your ultimate winter road trip safety kit, have some water and snacks to sustain you. A blanket and extra winter gear would also be helpful. A first aid kit will be helpful to treat any wounds after a major accident such as if your car crashes into a tree. You’d also benefit from having reflective signs to draw attention to your vehicle or any car repair tools.
Clear Away the Snow With a Shovel
Another tool you should keep in your emergency kit is a portable shovel. If your car does go off-road, it will likely get buried in a mound of snow. If this happens to you, you’ll want to have an easy tool to help you clear the snow away.
Trying to clean out snow by hand is a tedious task that will wear your out and get you wet in the process. Both of these adverse effects will make it much harder for you to stay warm and safe. That’s why it’s so important to have a portable shovel in your emergency kit.
After exploring what to do if your car breaks down during the winter, you don’t have to panic if this happens to you. Instead, you can act smartly and quickly to put yourself in the best position to get home safely.
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
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