Vehicle emergency survival kits have long been a foundational part of preparedness training. Depending on the training you have or lean towards, be it more tactical or wilderness minded, will largely dictate the type of kit you build and the types of emergency scenarios you plan to circumvent. I have seen kits take up the back of a Suburban that include chainsaws and welding tools to the old standard pocket survival kit. I would imagine many of you fall somewhere between these two extremes. In my professional experience spanning over two decades in rescue and wilderness survival, I, too, have created a variety of kits to fit my personal needs over the years, most of which included a blend of essential tactical and wilderness elements with practical things in mind such as my vehicle simply breaking down, or me being stranded a day or two. In my kits, I have always included essential tools in a cross-body style bag or haversack that included multiple ways to hydrate, manage my body's core temperature, signal for rescue, and eat.
Most often, I would place my kits in the trunk of some of my vehicles, under the wheel well cover, or nested inside the spare tire's rim. This was so the kits remained out of sight and didn't get in the way while getting groceries or performing the myriad of other tasks related to family life. Over the years, these kits had come in handy when I needed some cordage, a temporary tarp, or band-aids. As my eldest son began to drive, we built a vehicle kit in case his ragged-out Mercury Villager broke down on one of his long drives home from work (which it did the first week). In early 2019, we upgraded all our vehicle kits to water-resistance totes, the same type you can use to store ammo. The size of these was a bit better for our more significant family needs and enabled us to add in a few extras for vehicle recovery, such as a tow strap, flare, some bottled water, and snacks with better quality emergency tools, you know, for those times we may need to abandon the relative safety of our vehicle to create that fantastic shelter in the woods. I'm not sure why we plan for that, but many do. In reality, I've never had to rely upon one of our kits to meet a genuine emergency need, that is, until the night of December 5th, 2019.
On December 5th, 2019, at around 11:50 PM, my son was in a bad accident. He veered off to avoid an animal crossing the road, which took him off the road to a sudden drop off where he first hit a road sign, then an embankment that flipped his vehicle end over end, investigators believe, at least twice before being caught by trees at about 10ft in the air. The vehicle came to rest on the ground on the passenger’s side. I had been waiting on him to get home from work, and I had one of those gut feelings you hear about, as he was running a few minutes later than usual. Suddenly, the tones for our fire department went off, and I instantly knew it was him. I raced out the door, hearing only an idea of where the accident had occurred. I've been a volunteer firefighter and rescue technician for a little over a decade, and I've been to dozens of accidents and have seen my fair share of fatalities. But I was rattled on that drive to the scene, worried at what I might find going on with my child. It was only 3 miles away, and I arrived in as many minutes. Thankfully, training kicked in as I did my scene survey and called out to him. He was unconscious, and I, being first on the scene, still had not heard anyone else come on the radio. I opened the driver’s door and saw my son lying across the passenger side windows. His seat belt was still attached to his seat, so he had slipped right out mid-accident. I yelled his name, and he instantly opened his eyes and responded. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and asked what had happened. I then heard local EMS and other first responders on the radio and on the way.
Upon regaining his composure, I asked if he could move, and he could. Then asked if he could stand up, which he did, and that's when I plucked my eighteen-year-old out of the car like he was still a two-year-old. I did a quick trauma assessment and checked for pupil response, and other than a few bruises and a little blood from the airbag to the face and some on his leg, all appeared normal. I escorted him over to my vehicle and sat him down. After about a minute, he started getting chills and asked to be warmed (early signs of shock); I turned on the heated seat and went for my vehicle kit as I knew there had to be something in there. Well, there was nothing of value for his condition. The tarp in that it was a nylon backpackers’ tarp, essentially worthless for what he needed. I also had only dry cloth, duct tape, and survival-type items- things I can use effectively in wilderness settings when I have nothing else- but for this environment, using these items was more of a hassle than a benefit. I then went for his vehicle kit, but guess what? That was inaccessible as the trunk was virtually nonexistent at the time. I later discovered that his vehicle kit was found 20 yards away since it was ejected into a field. So, I gave him my coat, and it was about that time that EMS finally arrived. This all happened in about 8 minutes!
Here are five tips I took away from that night which I believe you will find helpful.
1) According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 40% of all car accidents are rear-end collisions. So, there is a 40% chance that you will not be able to access your emergency kit if you store it in your trunk space or your wheel well. T-bone collisions, sideswipe accidents, and rollover accidents must also be considered, as these risk damaging the vehicle enough to prevent access to your kit. All in all, there is as high as a 60% chance you could not access your emergency kit when needed! Therefore, stowing your primary emergency kit in your trunk space is a poor choice. Instead, this space should be reserved only for bulky items such as additional changes of footwear and clothing, bug-out type items, and more extensive tools of any variety- primary emergency items should be kept elsewhere.
2) A kit designed for wilderness or urban survival will do you very little good in a severe car accident. Your kit should provide Medical Aid first! Should my son have been able to extricate himself from the vehicle, which I believe he could have done, his delayed injuries and concussion would have prevented him from caring for himself overnight. After self-extrication, he would have most likely found a spot nearby and passed out, only to add hypothermia to his list of problems. If this were you or you were assisting a friend or loved one that was injured in the exact vehicle you are in, you need a proper first aid kit designed to stop bleeding, maintain core body temperature, and aid medical complications so much as your level of training will allow.
3) The primary kit should be within arm’s reach of anyone in the vehicle's occupancy compartment. The back of the driver and passenger headrests are the best spots for immediate first aid/trauma kits and should be secured with heavy velcro or another tear-away system. The seat backs should be reserved for survival-related items which might attach with molle. The headrests will be accessible by front passengers easily by reaching behind themselves or across to the opposite seats and for rear passengers by simply reaching forward. Survival items should be securely fastened to seat backs so that contents will not spill out if the vehicle violently overturns. Lastly, everyone in the family should be trained well on what is in the kits and how they should be used.
4) Consider adding a strap cutter to each seat belt mount or, again, to the first aid kit on the back of the headrest. In my experience over the past decade in the fire & rescue services, I have had to cut my fair share of seat belts as the buttons sometimes become too difficult to access or lock up, especially on older vehicles. If I were injured or unable to access my seat belt to extricate myself, cutting myself or other passengers free easily and quickly would help alleviate my stress and frustration.
5) If you carry a firearm, keeping it attached to your body is the best option, albeit uncomfortable for many concealed carriers. Should you decide on a vehicle-mounted holster to stow your weapon while driving, consider one bolted to the vehicle securely and locks it securely into it, such as the Blac-Rac Weapon Retention System. Do not rely on magnetized systems to hold in the event of an accident.
Click below to download a checklist with links or to build your own kit.
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