How to Pack a First Aid Kit for Your Car

Save money by putting together an on-the-road emergency preparedness kit yourself.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• First Aid Books
• Maps
• Blankets
• Cereals
• Water
• Aspirins
• Bandages
• Cotton Swabs
• Diapers
• Eyebrow Tweezers
• Facial Tissues
• Medical Tape And Gauze
• Sterile Dressings
• Paper And Pencils
• Emergency Flares
• Ice Packs
• Whistles
• Flashlights
• Cellular Phones
• Ice packs

1. Buy a waterproof sack that's large enough for everything you need. Include a smaller plastic bag inside it to keep your medical supplies dry.

2. Pack a flashlight, a blanket, two large bottles of water, $20 in cash, safety streamers, a whistle and, if you have a baby, a few emergency diapers.

3. Include everything you might need for a medical emergency: 4-by-4-inch nonadhesive bandages, gauze and medical tape, butterfly bandage strips and an elastic bandage. Add a trauma pad, instant ice pack, alcohol wipes, tweezers, swabs, cotton balls, a small pack of tissues, antibiotic ointment, tincture of benzoin, insect sting relief pads, cortisone cream and an irrigation syringe. Include acetaminophen and ibuprofen for pain relief, and antihistamines for allergic reactions. A first aid instruction book can be very helpful.

4. Keep a pencil and pad of paper on hand in case you need to write down directions or a phone number.

Tips & Warnings

• Invest in a cellular phone.

• Always wear your seat belt.

• Never leave a child unattended in a car.

• If your car breaks down, stay inside with the doors locked until a highway patrol officer stops.

• If you do get out of the car, stay in front of it rather than behind it.

• If you can, pull over to the shoulder of the road.