Post by jimcobb on Jun 5, 2023 22:13:39 GMT
As the weather heats up, here are some things to keep in mind regarding your vehicle emergency kits/supplies.
Don’t keep clear glass or plastic bottles inside the car without covering them. If the angle is just right, they can act like a magnifying glass when sunlight hits them, potentially causing a fire.
It doesn’t take long for the car’s interior to heat up dramatically after it’s parked. If it’s 85°F outside, within 20 minutes the inside of that car can hit 114°F. What I recommend is keeping a cooler in your trunk and storing any temperature sensitive items in there. I’m not saying to add ice or cooling packs every day, though. Just the cooler alone will help keep the temperature a little more moderate, provided it is the trunk. Therefore, if you are keeping food on hand in case of emergencies, toss it in the cooler. You could even wrap it in a towel for added insulation.
Don’t go anywhere without bringing along some water, just in case. How you store it is up to you. Some people shy away from plastic bottles, and that’s fine. But find a solution that works for you. If you break down somewhere on a hot day, you’re going to want to have some water on hand as you might be there a while. True story – our SUV broke down on our way home from dropping our son off at college a couple of years ago. It was late August and pretty darn hot out. We have roadside assistance coverage with our car insurance, so we called them for a tow. It took seven hours for them to finally get a truck out there. To this day, I still haven’t received an adequate explanation as to why.
While we usually think of those reflective emergency blankets as a way to keep warm, they can also be used to keep you cool. If you’re stranded, put them over the car with the reflective side facing out. That way, the sun’s rays will bounce away, rather than heat up the inside of the vehicle. It won’t be like air conditioning, but it’ll help.
Stay safe this summer. Don’t get overheated, drink lots of water, and put on sunscreen.
Don’t keep clear glass or plastic bottles inside the car without covering them. If the angle is just right, they can act like a magnifying glass when sunlight hits them, potentially causing a fire.
It doesn’t take long for the car’s interior to heat up dramatically after it’s parked. If it’s 85°F outside, within 20 minutes the inside of that car can hit 114°F. What I recommend is keeping a cooler in your trunk and storing any temperature sensitive items in there. I’m not saying to add ice or cooling packs every day, though. Just the cooler alone will help keep the temperature a little more moderate, provided it is the trunk. Therefore, if you are keeping food on hand in case of emergencies, toss it in the cooler. You could even wrap it in a towel for added insulation.
Don’t go anywhere without bringing along some water, just in case. How you store it is up to you. Some people shy away from plastic bottles, and that’s fine. But find a solution that works for you. If you break down somewhere on a hot day, you’re going to want to have some water on hand as you might be there a while. True story – our SUV broke down on our way home from dropping our son off at college a couple of years ago. It was late August and pretty darn hot out. We have roadside assistance coverage with our car insurance, so we called them for a tow. It took seven hours for them to finally get a truck out there. To this day, I still haven’t received an adequate explanation as to why.
While we usually think of those reflective emergency blankets as a way to keep warm, they can also be used to keep you cool. If you’re stranded, put them over the car with the reflective side facing out. That way, the sun’s rays will bounce away, rather than heat up the inside of the vehicle. It won’t be like air conditioning, but it’ll help.
Stay safe this summer. Don’t get overheated, drink lots of water, and put on sunscreen.