Emergency kits in cars can save lives during winter months

Salisbury, Md. – Temperatures are dropping and with them arrives the likelihood of there being accidents on the road.

Officials told WMDT that an emergency kit in cars could mean the difference between life and death if travelers get stranded.

“It’s really important because if you’re on a back road and you run off in a ditch, there’s limited traffic,” Chief Rob Frampton of the Salisbury Fire Department said. “Visibility is blurred, especially if it’s at nighttime. You don’t want to get stranded in the cold and get frostbite or, you know, God forbid, you die.”

Emergency kits should contain mostly non-perishable foods like energy or protein bars, water as well as materials to keep warm like gloves, hats and blankets. They should also include an ice scraper or small shovel, according to Frampton.

Frampton said that he does not recommend putting the kits in the truck of the car because the trunk might freeze shut, making the kit inaccessible. Instead, he said to stash them in an easy to reach location like the backseat or on the floor of the vehicle.

He said that being without a kit could be extremely dangerous especially in some rural or mountainous areas like in western Maryland or Virginia where “they have 10 or 20 miles” between houses, making it potentially fatal to try to trek.

Frampton recommends planning ahead, making sure phones are charges and making sure people have their kits ready before the cold weather begins in earnest is the one of the best ways to stay prepared against dangerous situations.