Ideas for First Aid Bags in Cars in the Upper Midwest
Car survival kits are in essential part of living in the upper Midwest and other areas of the United States where winter or other adverse weather conditions can exist. This is especially true for those areas that are isolated in which assistance for you may not be immediately available. The most often reason to have a first aid kit in a vehicle is not necessarily for the driver or even for the occupants of the vehicle it could very well be used to help someone else on the road. This may include someone stopped on the side of the road who is having a medical problem or after a motor vehicle collision in which medical or other assistant has not yet arrived.
Here is a short list of things that should be placed in your vehicle to deal with basic emergency needs:
Thermal blanket. These blankets are incredibly compact and easy to carry in a glove compartment or trunk and provide incredible protection from the elements including excessive heat or cold. An additional blanket is also a good suggestion to add an additional layer or for a second person if necessary.
2. Band-Aids and other wound covering disposable items. Please common household staples should be available in multiples of three and in various sizes. This allows you to cover multiple ones on multiple people if necessary and stack things bleeding control pads to help Control bleeding. To go along with this if you were in a very isolated area in which help may not be immediately available it is not a bad idea to have a simple tourniquet available which cost less than $10. These are for extreme situations in which you may not encounter but may be the only means to help save someone in time for help to arrive.
Protective gloves and breathing barriers to perform procedures like CPR or to apply bandages. This may also be very helpful to have a barrier between yourself and other liquids such as motor oil radiator fluid brake fluid in the event you need to get into another vehicle or go around hazardous materials in order to reach a victim. This is besides the obvious blood-borne illness protection which they can provide. Breathing barriers are small enough that they can be placed in vinyl bags attached to a keychain that cost less than $.50 to produce and are a wonderful addition to any car safety kit.
Glow lights or other devices that can be used to illuminate your path. Many people may not think about it but in situation of low light or no light being able to see is incredibly important and be seen it's just as important. Simple road flares can be used to advise traffic around you but there is a hazard ahead. Glow sticks can also be used for this purpose but they're also very good aids in a medical emergency where your vehicle may not be able to provide light due to damage or not being in the area of concern. A simple headlamp that uses a watch battery and an LED light is usually more than people will need what is incredibly compact and efficient.