Motorists urged to create winter kits for cars

(PHOTO)

By Stacy Downs

Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

Surely by now you are equipped with something sharper than a credit card to scrape off your windshield.

But people often drive unprepared in the winter weather. As a result, police and paramedics work lots of wrecks involving cars with windows and mirrors covered in snow and ice.

“You see cars all the time with just a small space cleaned off the windshield,” says Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. John Eichkorn. “That kind of behavior is dangerous.”

So law enforcement agencies and insurance companies urge motorists to create winter kits for their cars. In the trunk, people should include a box or bag with supplies in case the car breaks down in bad weather.

Start with basics, which should be in the car year round – jumper cables, a flashlight and reflectors. Then add the winter necessities: a blanket, stocking hat, warm gloves and, of course, a sturdy ice scraper (the kind with the brushes attached on the end work well).

But a few surprising elements also should be part of the kit. Eichkorn says drivers need to include a metal travel coffee mug, a candle and a lighter in their cars in case they get stranded. The mug can be used to scoop snow, and a lit candle stuck in the middle will melt snow for drinking water.

Mike Right, spokesman for the St. Louis-based American Automobile Association, says people also should pack high-calorie foods to keep warm in case the car breaks down in cold weather. Take the opportunity to horde chocolate or granola bars if you insist on being health-conscious.

Discount retailers, auto-parts dealers and hardware stores sell emergency car kits starting at $20. They tend to include nuts-and-bolts items such as jumper cables and reflectors. Creating a kit will cost a bit more because of additional items such as blankets and winter gear. Right sees a lot of parents giving their teenage and young adult children the kits as gifts for the holidays.

“The more winters you go through, the more you prepare for it,” Right says. “But it’s the inexperienced drivers who probably need them most.”

Companies, such as the catalog retailer Duluth Trading, make collapsible bags for emergency car kits. “There’s high demand for products that offer safety and convenience,” says Mike Klawitter, spokesman of the Wisconsin-based company.

This year Duluth Trading introduced the “Ultimate Trunk Organizer,” a bag with dividers and fabric-fastener strips on the bottom that anchor it to upholstery in the trunk. It is available in two sizes, $50 for medium with two dividers and $60 for large with three, www.duluthtrading.com, (800) 505-8888.

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Emergency car kit:

Abrasive material (cat litter or sand)

Antifreeze

Blanket

Bottled water

Candle

Coins for pay phone

De-icer

Fire extinguisher

First-aid kit

Flares or reflectors

Flashlight with extra batteries

Gas container, empty

Gloves

Hat

High-calorie food such as candy bars or granola bars

Ice scraper with brush

Jumper cables

Pad of paper with pencil

Safety lighter

Snow shovel, collapsible

Travel coffee mug

Windshield wiper fluid

-Sources: American Automobile Association, Kansas Highway Patrol

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(c) 2004, The Kansas City Star.

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Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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PHOTO (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): AUTO-WINTERKIT

AP-NY-12-10-04 0615EST