Prepare your car for winter now

 

It’s not winter yet, but in Idaho, you never know when exactly that will change. It’s about now when people look to get their cars fortified against the maddening cold and burying snow.

So how do you go about this?

A mechanic is a good place to start.

According to How Stuff Works, the goal is to leave the mechanic’s shop with the confidence of knowing your battery is solid, fluids are good, brakes have sufficient stopping power and, of course, that your thermostat and heater are in peak condition.

Then there’s stuff like making sure you’ve got enough tread on your tires (or swap them out for snow tires), checking that your headlights, brake lights, and hazard lights are doing their job, and inspect the spray nozzles on your wipers. They’ve got to be clear so the fluid flows freely.

Oh, and you need gas as well! A common rule of thumb is to keep the tank at least half full, but hey, why not go for full as much as possible?

That’s your car, but what about you? Even a fully winterized car can slide off the road, and a ship-shape vehicle is not enough to keep you going until help arrives — you need supplies in that car. There are massive lists of what a preparedness kit should contain, but some of the chief items include:

• A charged cell phone and a car charger to keep it that way.
• A first-aid kit. Sure you could put it together yourself, but the pre-packaged store-bought kits are designed to cover all the bases.
• Flashlights with extra batteries.
• There’s a good chance you already have a windshield scraper, but add a collapsible shovel too and a bag of sand for traction.
• Stick a couple of flares under the seat, and in the trunk add a reflective triangle and jumper cables. You might even add some maps too, in case your GPS is unavailable.

• A change of clothes, and here’s a tip: Grab the never-worn shirts and pants and socks that live at the bottom of dresser drawers. That way you don’t have to sacrifice a pair of clothes that you wear regularly, nor do you have to buy new clothing. A change of clothes gives more than physical comfort/safety (in the event that the clothes you’re wearing get soaked trying to dig yourself out), but psychological comfort as well. After a prolonged stay in a cramped car, fresh clothing can have a rejuvenating effect that helps combat the potential discomfort and fear.
• Toss in a pair of winter boots as well (if you’re not already wearing them) and blankets and sleeping bags. Add a jacket or two and some gloves, and staying warm will be considerably easier.

Finally, plenty of bottled water, and nuts/energy bars, and you might just find that sitting stranded on the side of an ice-covered road is quite comfortable, and the biggest danger you face is boredom (so pack some cards as well).