OB -- What's in YOUR car?

I know, roads everywhere are different.  Here a lot of the roads run to and from DC and some of the ones most heavily traveled have exits only every 5 miles or so.  What do you do then if it's blocked?

Not much.  Especially if it's a tractor-trailer wreck, as it so often is, plus load spillage, and sometimes plus fuel spillage which requires a hazmat crew.

What do you do while you wait for the police to help you turn around?  Freeze?  Starve?  Hold it until you explode?

Well, here is where emergency preparedness comes in.

Did you know that a Mylar emergency blanket will hold up to 80% of your body warmth and when folded up is no bigger than my palm?  And my hands aren't all that big.  In 2013 I bought a 3 pack, one for the house, one for the car, and one in case I thought it would be a good idea to insulate myself from the floor as well as put one over my head.

Add to that a few of those hand and foot warmers you can get for camping.  When my hands are cold they hurt and then they become unuseable.  So I bought a couple at REI.  Haven't used them so far.

For years now emergency experts have been telling us to have bottled water in our cars.  Same goes for food.  A pack of tree nuts, soy nuts, and sunflower seeds.  Separately packaged, some dried berries. 

Sanitary needs -- there are numbers of portable products for this.  Use "emergency toilet in traffic jam" in your search engine.  Ignore reviews by "A Customer".

That's aside from not causing the jam yourself.  NO TEXTING OR PHONING WHILE IN THE ROADBED.   Second, keep your car in good repair.  Saving money there can mean you're the one whose car breaks down causing the jam.

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights Reserved