Common and highly dangerous to your life?
Last week it was one of the coldest days of the year and the first time for a while that my car has refused to start.
So I borrowed a car to allow me to continue working.
Not ideal, but I was grateful for the help.
The catch is that the car I borrowed broke down as well.
Not great, but these things do happen.
So I pulled the borrowed car over at the side of the motorway and exited the vehicle.
However, I was totally unprepared for the weather.
Having a black belt was not even going to keep 2 inches of my waist warm.
We worry about being assaulted, kidnapped or ninja home invasions.
But statistically, car problems and the risks they present are potentially more common and more dangerous than the other issues we train for in a martial arts class.
Yet we prepare less for these events than the potential threat of violent encounters.
So this week, I’ve been looking at what I can learn from this experience and created the following 5 essentials as an emergency checklist for my car.
1) I’ve added two emergency blankets that are windproof and waterproof to my car and put some in the one that I borrowed.
2) Put some snacks and a bottle of water into the boot. Even if you have kids with you, there can still be a delay until you may get recovery assistance.
3) Have you a first aid kit in the car? Included in this is also nappies if you have a small child too!
4) How much debris is on the seats. These are potential missiles in an emergency stop.
5) Do you have a spare tyre? Is it inflated and have you got the full jacking kit in the car?
BONUS ESSTIAL #6
6) When did you last check your tyre levels? Does your tread pass the 20p test?
You can get everything you need for under £100 and most of it delivered.
https://evaq8.co.uk/winter-car-kit-survival-supplies-for-severe-weather.html
At the time, I would have paid £100 just for gloves and a snack.
If you have a loved one, they may think your nagging but pay it forward.
Encourage or assist them to check on their car and readiness for a winter problem too.
Or maybe even buy them one of these kits as a present. It’s probably not something anybody wants, but when the time comes. It’s something all of us could need to keep safe.