What should you keep in your car for winter emergencies?
Keep the tank above half and, in the cabin, a blanket or sleeping bag, water, food and a light for every passenger, plus warm clothes, a phone charger, a reflective vest for everyone and a warning triangle. In the trunk: a small shovel, a scraper, grit or sand and chains. If you get stuck in snow, stay with the car, clear the exhaust pipe and run the engine about 10 minutes per hour.
The essentials
- Tank above half all winter.
- In the cabin, not the trunk: a blanket, water, food and a light for every passenger, plus a reflective vest for each.
- In the trunk: a small shovel, grit or sand, chains, a warning triangle.
Stuck in snow: three rules
- Stay with the car — rescuers find a car much more easily than a person on foot.
- Clear the exhaust pipe before every start; snow around it pushes carbon monoxide into the cabin.
- Run the engine about 10 minutes per hour, with a window slightly open.
The full seasonal kit list (summer and winter), breakdowns, sleeping in the car after an earthquake and a printable car checklist are in the guide.
Car as Shelter
Winter, snow, traffic jams, breakdowns and nights in the car after an earthquake — how to make your car a refuge, not a trap
Worksheets (appendices)
- Stuck in the Snow — What First?
- Car Kit Checklist
- Seasonal Car Check
- Gear by Priority
- Local Information Card
- Worked Example — Mountain Pass and Nights After an Earthquake
Sources: FEMA / Ready.gov — Winter Weather; national road safety and civil protection agencies. Sources are listed on the last page of every guide.
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