11 Things to keep in your car at all times

As much as driving around in your car is a symbol of personal freedom, it also involves some hazards – both for your car and regarding your own safety. There’s a lot of things that could go wrong, and to help you deal with such happenings, there are some basic things you should have available at all times. We’ve compiled a list of those things which could help you overcome many potential difficulties.

Martin Pretorius

28 Aug 2019 · 14:26Car Ownership

1. Driver’s (and vehicle) licence

This one seems like a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many people neglect to keep this small laminated card handy. In many instances, the officials who man road blocks will merely check that the driver has a valid licence, and that the car’s licence disk is up to date. You could skip a lot of hassles (and a fine) if you just keep your licence with you, and ensure that your car’s disk is current.

2. Personal- and emergency details

If you’re incapable of identifying yourself or giving instructions in the event of a collision, emergency responders will search your car for identifying information. It’s important to know not only who the accident victim is (to notify their next of kin), but also if there are specific medical issues they might have to deal with, and whether the victim has medical aid or not.

Simply print a small (A5-sized will work well) card containing your personal details (name and ID number), pertinent medical information, medical aid- and insurance information, and emergency contact numbers, and have it laminated. This card can then be stuck inside the glove compartment or onto the sun visor, which will be the first place those first responders will look.

3. A first-aid kit

We're not talking about a comprehensive type of kit here, but a just basic selection of essential items. This can all be packaged neatly into a small container, and should include some rolled-up bandages and diaper pins, stretch plasters, adhesive tape and small scissors, disinfectant (a pocket-sized bottle of Dettol or similar), a ball of cotton wool (stored in a small zip-lock bag), pre-packaged sterile gauze, a small container of hand sanitiser, latex gloves and surgical mask, a CPR mouth piece, a few sterile suture needles and a few meters of rolled-up thin-gauge fishing line.

Alternatively, you could just buy a pre-packaged basic first-aid kit from a specialist supplier. Either way, this will prove to be very useful if you come across a road accident, or even if you're in an accident yourself but there's someone close by with some first aid experience. Take note never to store any medication inside the glove box, as elevated temperatures inside that confined space will rapidly render any tablets or pills useless or even poisonous.

4. A torch

Your cell phone will likely have a torch function built in, but sometimes an old-fashioned cylindrical torch will just be easier to handle and more effective in confined spaces. You don’t need a hefty 3-cell torch, though – modern mini-Maglite or LEDlenser torches run off a single AAA battery and consume very little power, but will give you all the light you could reasonably need next to the roadside. Just remember to renew the batteries every year or so...

If you're using one of the small LED-based torches we recommend above, it will also enable you to lightly grip the torch between your teeth when you're busy changing a wheel or looking for something in the spare wheel well, freeing up your hands and aiming the light exactly where you're looking.

5. Tyre pressure gauge

You probably usually ask a service station assistant to “check your tyres”, but those gauges are often not to be trusted due to poor (or non-existent) calibration. Keeping a good-quality tyre pressure gauge in your car will enable you to keep your tyres at the manufacturer's recommended pressure, prolonging their life and adding an extra measure of safety to your driving. Decent gauges doesn’t even need to be expensive, and can be found at just about .

6. A selection of fuses and globes

A small container with a few fuses and a spare light bulb or two will save you much frustration when one of them decides to melt away at the worst possible moment. Motor manufacturers know this, and usually equip their products with a small selection of spare fuses inside the fuse box. Relying on the car's own supply of spare fuses is risky, though, because you’ll eventually use them all, and deplete the reserve of replacements – because you’ll most likely forget to replace any spare fuses you might have used along the way.

Try to keep at least two spare fuses of every capacity (say 10A, 15A, 20A and 30A) in the container, along with a small long-nose pliers (most OEM-supplied fuse extraction tools are difficult to use). Just make sure that the spare fuses are compatible with your car, as there are many different fuse designs in circulation, and replenish your supply as soon as possible.

The same applies for those spare bulbs – ensure that they’ll fit in your car’s light clusters, and keep at least one spare globe of every applicable size in reserve. This might just save you from a fine for an inoperative brake light, for instance, or prevent an accident from happening due to your car being invisible at night.

7. Owner's manual

Very few of us ever pay attention to this book, except when it's time to enter the radio's security code or check for service requirements. However, keeping the manual in the glove box will also help you understand what any unexpected warning lights mean when they illuminate on the dashboard, where to find your car’s fuse boxes, and provide a reference for appropriate tyre pressures.

In the event of a serious mechanical failure on the road, it will also describe the proper towing operation, how to safely attach a towing eye to the bumper assembly, and how to jump-start the engine in the event of a battery failure.

8. Notepad and pencil

In the event of a minor accident, it's often useful to keep some old-fashioned writing tools handy – mobile phones have made life more convenient, but there's still no easier way to exchange information than with a pencil and paper. Note that I recommend a pencil, not a pen, because pens often dry up with disuse, which a pencil won't do.

It will also come in handy to take down the details of any witnesses or helpful bystanders, and to make rough sketches of an accident scene, because your camera phone might not always survive (or remain accessible after) an accident.

9. Tissues and baby wipes

Contrary to what their name implies, baby wipes are immensely useful to keep around the car – especially the anti-bacterial type. They're handy to wipe off your hands after attending to a mechanical malfunction, or if your coffee spills next to the cup holder, or if your windscreen keeps fogging up in cold weather, or if you want to enjoy a snack but couldn't wash your hands before setting off.

Tissues have their own special place, and come in pocket-sized quantities as well. Sure, you can blow your nose with them, but they're also great at absorbing accidental spills and for wiping off your sunglasses.

10. Warning Triangle

This is an often-overlooked must-have. According to the National Road Traffic Act, all vehicles registered after 1 July 2007 must carry at least one emergency warning triangle to legally be allowed a public road. Some manufacturers include this in their cars’ standard kit, but not all of them do – so it’s best to check that you have one in your car.

Failure to carry a warning triangle may expose you to a fine of R500, if the traffic officer is feeling particularly pedantic on that day, and will also increase the risk of a secondary incident if you end up with a breakdown or flat tyre next to the road. It's best to store it close to the jack, because the chances are that you'll use them simultaneously.

11. A spare tyre or an emergency tyre repair kit

It’s only logical that you should have either a spare wheel (and wheel spanner and jack) or a tyre repair kit in your car’s boot, but this is something many people forget. A puncture can happen at any moment, and getting stuck because of improper preparation can be both dangerous and avoidable. Check the condition of your spare tyre every time you check the car’s tyre pressures. In the case of space saver spares, remember that those are only good for a maximum of 80 km/h, so a full-sized spare will always be the preferred option.

If your car is equipped with run-flat tyres, the chances are that it won’t have a spare wheel at all, instead relying on an aerosol-based tyre sealing- and re-inflation kit. The problem with these aerosol kits is that they do age, and expire after some time. In this case, always check the expiry date on the canister, and replace it when it’s due (or if you’ve used it at all). It will still work out a lot less expensive than the damage you’ll incur if you keep driving on that flat run-flat – doing so may get you where you need to be or out of immediate danger, but it will also destroy the tyre in the process.

A special note for those drivers with aftermarket (larger and wider) wheels and tyres on their cars: make sure that you have a similarly-sized spare wheel as well. Fitting wheels and tyres of unequal sizes (such as would happen in the event of a flat tyre) will have serious negative effects on the car’s handling and driveability, and may even damage mechanical components along the way. Also ensure that your wheel spanner (and alloy wheel lock nuts key) is compatible with the nuts or bolts used with many aftermarket wheels, else you won’t be able to get the damaged wheel or tyre off the car in any case...