Fortunately, you don’t need to be a mechanic to give yourself a better chance of getting home or to the closest repair shop with a small kit of necessary tools and equipment. You’ll even increase your chances of survival in the event of an accident or other emergency.
This concise list of objects includes some of the most useful and likely items you’ll need, yet using them requires no mechanical or other expertise. They are fundamentals. Of course, you could fill your car to the brim with additional tools, but you really couldn’t go wrong by always having these nine basic, reasonably priced items on hand.
A seatbelt or window escape device, such as a Life Hammer: This little thing could literally save your life. If you keep it close to the driver’s seat with Velcro or double-sided tape, it can help you break a window in case you get stuck in your car or end up in the water. It can also quickly cut the seatbelt, which is a notoriously tough piece of fabric for obvious reasons. When you’re running low on air, the automobile is on fire, or another hazard is approaching, time is of the importance. With this inexpensive and straightforward equipment, leaving swiftly is made much simpler.
Screwdriver and socket set: Even the most advanced vehicles, components can occasionally become loose due to vibration, aging, or other factors. Most of the time, the issue may be resolved by just tightening whatever is loose. With a loose battery terminal connection, a hose clamp that has slipped, or other straightforward and evident issues under the hood, this can be extremely useful. Simply focus your attention on the main systems and look for any disconnected or loose components. Even if you aren’t an automotive expert, popping the hood and checking for obvious issues like these is simple.
Tying strap: This length of incredibly sturdy material is great for more than just moving your friend’s old truck from one weed-filled yard to the other. You can tow a disabled vehicle short to medium distances with a tow strap. With only a passing stranger in a pickup truck’s assistance. You can utilize it to provide the same assistance if you are that stranger in a pickup. However, a recovery gear can also serve as a useful all-purpose length of tie-down or rescue rope due to its incredibly sturdy construction.
Duct tape: Duct tape can solve a variety of problems, despite the fact that it may sound overly simplistic. Duct tape can patch your car back together for as long as it takes to limp it to a repair shop and protect you from being stranded or paying for a tow truck, whether the damage is caused by a fender-bender accident or temporary emergency fixes on hoses and other parts. Knife: Sometimes you need to separate or get rid of items instead of making or securing relationships. Knives are useful in situations like that. For example, if a piece of your plastic bumper breaks in a fender-bender and is rubbing against the tire and cannot be fixed with duct tape, you can just cut off the offending section and continue driving and be sure to have the car checked out for other, less-visible problems afterward.
