As I mentioned yesterday, winter preparations are in full swing at my house and I’ve been sharing this on the blog. We talked about getting our yards and homes ready. We talked about food storage, emergency supplies and yesterday we talked about some of the items we need to have in our vehicles. Our cars are often overlooked as an important place to get ready for winter weather. That’s caused me to think about a car winter checklist. We talked about common, already in the car items yesterday and today we are moving on to car winter checklist part two, items we need to add specifically for winter.

I said it yesterday but I am going to say it again – it is that important. In the bad weather it is definitely better to minimize travel, but if travel is necessary, keeping your car equipped with items you need in an emergency is a must. Winter weather can provide a variety of unexpected emergency situations. You might need to add the following car winter checklist part two items to your vehicle:

Tire chains
Tire chains can be necessary if you need to drive through canyons or on other snow packed roads. They can be inexpensive and purchased at most auto parts and stores like Target or WalMart. They take up very little trunk space and can provide peace of mind when driving in bad weather. This car winter checklist part two item is a good one to add to your vehicle this winter.

Shovel
A shovel is a must have if you get stuck in the snow. You’ll need to be able to dig yourself out. This car winter checklist part two item is much better than trying to dig with your hands or whatever you can find in your car.

Road salt, sand or kitty litter
If you are stuck in the snow or on the ice, any of these car winter checklist part two items will give you traction. Adding traction can make the difference between being stuck, possibly for hours, and being able to get out of a bad weather situation.

Battery-powered radio with extra batteries
If you do get stuck, having a car winter checklist part two item like a battery powered radio will keep you aware and informed. You won’t want to overuse the car radio because you could drain the battery.

Flashlight with extra batteries
Have a flashlight with extra batteries in your car. If you get stuck at night you will need a light source. A flashlight with extra batteries is a car winter checklist part two must have item.

Bright colored flag or help signs
If you get trapped in a major snow storm, you may end up waiting out the storm in your car. A brightly colored flag or help sign will alert emergency responders to your location. Adding these items to your car winter checklist part two can help you get rescued in a severe storm.

Are these on your car winter checklist? Want to suggest something we forgot? Watch our blog tomorrow for even more winter specific items to keep in your car. There are more items than you might think! See you then!