Every year there are stories about people who survive multiple days in a vehicle that went off the road that rescuers could not easily locate.

This usually happens in remote areas, but occasionally it happens within a stone's throw of a suburban area or even a city; that is why you must be prepared for anything! To make sure you're prepared for that SHTF moment, keep these important tips below in mind:

Keep Your Vehicle Serviced

This is a pretty comprehensive step, but extremely important, nonetheless. Keeping your vehicle serviced includes ensuring your fluids are changed at the proper intervals and topped off where applicable. This is the mindset portion of this article, take care of your vehicle and your vehicle will take care of you. Most emergencies can be prevented by keeping your vehicle in top condition.

Have Basic Tools for Repairs

Including a simple tool kit in your Vehicle Emergency Kit is always a great idea. At the very least, you should have the tools necessary to replace your battery.

A small wrench set, socket set and a pair of pliers will do most of the tasks required, but throwing in a few screwdrivers, some electrical tape, duct tape, a tire pressure gauge and spare fuses will make it even better.

While you’ll never know what you might need your tools for, you can get even more specific and just carry the common wrench and socket sizes for your vehicle.

This takes a working knowledge of your vehicle and If you don’t have that, just go with a full set. If you can fit a full-size or folding shovel, I’d highly recommend one as well. It could mean the difference between being stuck or getting home to your loved ones.

Carry a Vehicle Fire Extinguisher

Fire Extinguishers are an often forgotten element in most Vehicle Emergency Kits.

How many times have you seen a car on the side of the road that was either on fire, or nice and crispy from being on fire? While hopefully the answer is “not often,” it does happen and having a Fire Extinguisher with you could mean the difference between a burnt hose and a burnt car.

This of course goes back to proper vehicle maintenance to avoid anything like this, but who knows, it might be you putting out someone else’s fire. Don’t skimp on a good mount for your extinguisher either.

Emergency Signaling is Important

The purpose of an emergency signaling device is two fold, it can be used to alert oncoming traffic to your presence on the side of the road and can also be used as a distress signal in an emergency.

Road Flares are great because in addition to the two uses mentioned above, they can also be used to start a fire. Carrying another way to start a fire with you is never a bad thing, but they do need to be monitored while in use on the road to ensure you’re not starting a fire and adding insult to injury.

I carry six of the Orion Signal 30 Minute Road Flares with an integrated wire stand to prop them up on the roadway when deployed. It’s somewhat thin wire, but even if the flare did fall, I feel they’d still be just as effective.

Other markers available include brightly colored flags like an MPIL and reflective items such as collapsible Warning Triangles. A flag can be tied to an open hood/trunk and reflective markers can be put out in a similar fashion to road flares, marking your location. Chemlights can work here as well, but may not be seen until an oncoming vehicle is close to your position.

I’m going to mention having a radio here under emergency signaling, but the type of radio, whether a CB or other variety is definitely a personal choice. I have a CB hard wired into my vehicle that can pick up Weather Frequencies and I also carry a backup handheld CB.

Have Extra Food and Water

Staying hydrated can be especially important in cold weather, when you don’t have the heat to continually remind you to drink water.

The potential of being stranded with just the items in your vehicle is a sobering reality and while food is important, water is even more important. Most of us drive along busy suburban roads where a Quik-E-Mart is just a few blocks away, but you’re not always in that situation, especially when traveling.

MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) are great to carry, but they’re temperature sensitive and need to be rotated out on a regular basis, especially if you carry them in your vehicle during the summer. It wouldn’t be right to mention MREs and not mention carrying some toilet paper too, unless you have one that refuses to exit.

The best plan is to try and stay with your vehicle if possible until someone finds you and having food and water can help make that possible if you ever find yourself stranded.

Carry a Blanket and Extra Clothing

A blanket is truly a multi-purpose item and can not only keep you warm in the winter, but can be used to treat victims in shock year round. If you’re tight on space, at the very least toss a couple of space blankets into your trunk.

If you have the space, a Sleeping Bag can also be a great addition. I carry an Elephant’s Foot Sleeping bag in my FJ, which is just the lower half of a sleeping bag that has suspenders to go over a jacket. It’s a space saver that’s designed to work in coordination with a good jacket to make up for the lack of a top.

Speaking of jackets, it never hurts to have a full change of clothes, warm undergarments, an outer layer and gloves to help keep you warm when changing a flat tire.

Have a Rescue Tool Within Arm’s Reach

The primary purpose of a Rescue Tool is escaping from a vehicle, which in the event your vehicles takes a dive into a body of water, you’re most likely not going to be able to simply roll down the window to escape. Look for a tool that has both a seat belt cutter and a glass breaker and locate it centrally where the driver or passenger can reach it, or have one for each.

A reason to not go with a permanently attached rescue tool is that you can use it for rescuing others that could be in a similar situation, or need to be pulled through a window to escape a vehicle.

A Good Knife is Indispensable

While a good knife should already be part of your EDC like a flashlight, it’s never a bad idea to have a spare with your vehicle. In addition to a knife, a good Multi-Tool will also come in handy and can replace needing to carry a few of the tools we mentioned above.

Don’t Neglect a First Aid Kit

This list wouldn’t be complete without discussing a first aid kit.

While a full-on Trauma Kit isn’t always practical for everyone, having at least the minimum to stop traumatic bleeding is a necessity in my book.

Whatever you decide to carry, just carry something that can stop traumatic bleeding and fix the bumps and bruises that come up. Preventing infection should also be at the top of your list.

This is just a partial list and covers the basics most people overlook or if they have some iteration of each item, they only have the bare minimum.

One way to know what to pack is to prepare for the most outrageous, but plausible, situation possible. In most cases, that scenario is going off the road into a gully and being undetectable from the road.

Once that scenario is covered, you will be generally assured you can tackle anything that comes up, but for more tips and survival information, please visit It's Tactical.