When it comes to driving around in the winter, there’s a lot more to being prepared than simply making sure you’ve got fuel, a wallet, and your cell phone. Whether it’s a short trip to run an errand, your commute to work, or a day trip out of town, you want to be prepared for the worst when it’s winter. Even though winter in Lenexa, Kansas can be fairly mild, things can get cold quickly. Here are 16 essentials to keep in your vehicle during winter.
1) Phone Charger or Extra Battery Pack
Just about everyone leaves the house with their phone, but how’s your battery? Whether you leave the house or office with a fully charged battery or not, it’s a good idea to always have a charger in your car. And if your car battery dies and you can’t charge your phone in an emergency, it’s a good idea to have an extra or add-on battery pack ready to go, too. Just be sure to contact someone for help before using your battery to post your winter adventures on social media.
2) Shovel
With an average of 16 inches per year, we don’t often get a lot of snow in Lenexa, Kansas, but when we do, it can pile up quickly. A small shovel in your trunk can go a long way to dig you out of a lot of trouble when there’s an unexpected heavy snowfall. And it doesn’t have to be full-sized. There are folding and telescoping portable shovels that can be stuffed out of the way.
3) Ice Scraper
The ever-changing winter weather in Lenexa means you might have rain or melting snow one day and sudden sub-freezing temperatures the next. Or it can often happen within the same day. Whether it’s for simple morning frost or a layer of snow and ice on your windows, an ice scraper should always be handy to clear off windows for safe driving.
4) Flashlight
Sure, your phone probably has a flashlight you can use, but when you want to preserve your phone battery or you simply don’t want your phone to be exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, a small, rechargeable or full-sized battery-powered flashlight is something you should have in the car year-round. And if you don’t want to worry about finding your flashlight with dead batteries, get a hand-cranking flashlight so you’ll never be without nighttime visibility.
5) Hazard Triangle/Lighting
Whether it’s day or night, if you find yourself pulled over on the side of the road, the more visible you are, the safer you are. Get a reflective hazard triangle or hazard light(s) to let people know you’re in harm’s way. Even with these safety items, do everything you can to stay away from moving cars and always stay aware of your surroundings.
6) Sand, Kitty Litter or Road Salt
Hopefully you planned ahead for winter driving by having Zohr mount the appropriate weather-ready tires to your vehicle. If not, or even if you are prepared but find yourself stuck without enough traction to get you going, a bag of sand or small box of kitty litter in the trunk can be your best friend. If you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the extra weight is a bonus, but regardless of which wheels are driven, a bit of sand or litter in front of your tires can give just enough bite to get going. Road salt is another option, and it can help melt the ice or snow enough to make sure your tires find grip below the wintery layer.
7) Extra Clothing
How many times have you gone out to run errands in the winter, knowing you’re not dressed warm enough? You only plan to be outside from the time it takes to get from your car to the front door of your destination, but imagine your car breaking down and being stuck in the cold with no heat for 30, 60, 90 minutes or more. Always keep a spare jacket, gloves, and hat in your car, and do that for potential passengers, too. You never know when you’ll need them or when you might be able to help someone else who’s stuck in the cold.
8) Blanket
As with the extra clothing, you just never know when you’ll be stuck somewhere either without heat or with not wanting to run you car out of fuel keeping you warm. Keep a warm blanket in the vehicle all winter, and make it wool if you’ve got one. Wool blankets trap heat in a bit better than most, and they deal with wet weather better than other blankets that just become sponges.
9) Food and Water
Water bottles and non-perishable food are a good idea to pack at anytime of the year, but especially during winter when you could potentially be stuck somewhere for hours. And the food doesn’t have to be non-perishable if you cycle through it before expiration dates. As for water bottles, disposable plastic bottles are always fine and convenient, but insulated bottles will ensure you can actually drink the water rather than carrying around a giant bottle-shaped chunk of ice.
10) Jumper Cables
It’s cold, you’re in a rush, and you run inside a store without turning your lights off—or you simply have an older battery, and the cold Lenexa winter is reducing it’s life expectancy. There’s nothing worse than trying to start you car and getting nothing but a click. A set of jumper cables can get you out of a jam or can help you get someone else home to see their family. Of course, sometimes there’s no one around to help, and you really need to get on the road. Consider a set of jump starter cables (rechargeable jumper cables) instead.
11) First Aid Kit
This is another thing you should keep in your car all year, but a first aid kit always seems even more handy in the winter. It’s easy to get cut or injured when your hands are numb and the ground is slick, so keep a well-stocked first aid kit, and don’t forget to check the dates on anything that could expire.
12) Windshield Wiper Fluid
Sure, you use your windshield wiper fluid in the summer when you’re driving though Lenexa and the surrounding K.C. Metro area to clean bugs and grime off your window, but what about winter? No bugs to worry about, but people tend to have a heavy hand on the windshield washer stalk to help clear road grime, salt, snow, and ice from their windshields. Visibility is one of the biggest safety factors with winter driving, so make sure to have your reservoir topped off and an extra jug of fluid ready for when you need it.
13) Tire Repair Kit/Fix-a-Flat
If you’re at your home or office when you realize you’ve got a flat or leaking tire, you might be able to schedule an urgent visit from our Zohr mobile tire technicians to get your tire repaired (or replaced) while you stay inside being productive. However, if you need to get on the road right now or if it’s after hours, you might need to resort to repairing a tire puncture on your own. Luckily, tire repair kits are inexpensive and don’t take up much space, and a can of Fix-a-Flat is even quicker and easier.
14) Portable Air Compressor and Pressure Gauge
Even if your car is equipped with a tire-pressure monitoring system, you should always have a pressure gauge with you to double-check pressures manually. And if you do happen to find that a tire needs more air or if you have to add air after repairing a tire, a portable air compressor can save you from hunting around town for a working compressor at a service station.
15) Cash
Not something most of us carry around anymore, but good old-fashioned cash is a good thing to keep in your wallet or purse for emergencies. If you need to pay out-of-pocket for immediate road-side assistance or at a service station while the internet is having issues or the electricity is out, paying with cash can get you settled up and on your way in a hurry.
16) Sunglasses
Just because a lot of the winter in Lenexa, Kansas can be gray and gloomy doesn’t mean you don’t need sunglasses. Especially when there’s snow and the sun comes out. Snow glare can cause temporary blindness and it’s just plain painful. Plus, sunglasses can get rid of road glare so you can see ice-covered areas or potholes more easily.
Many of these things should be kept in your car for emergencies during the winter, but many of them are also good to have regardless. Keep in mind that winter driving requires even more attention than any other time of the year, so put your phone down if you’re at the wheel.
Even without heavy snowfall in Lenexa, if the roads are damp or there was recent snow or rain, there’s a chance of coming across ice on the road anytime it’s 37° or less. Keep your eyes up and be weather aware.
When you need your car or truck to be ready for winter, contact Zohr online or call/text us at 816-800-9175. Our mobile tire technicians will go to you for tire repairs or tire replacement, and because we’re fully mobile, we deliver everything directly to you do all the work at your home or office anywhere in Lenexa.
Handling Icy Road Conditions | Zohr
