Road Side Assistance Emergency Kits

Once you get into removing a flat tire and digging out the spare and jack you're going to get your hands dirty. Changing a tire is a rough job and you'll be glad you brought along a nice pair of work gloves, which were also included in the Victor kit. Some people keep a couple pairs of latex gloves in their roadside kit, but we prefer good old fashioned work gloves like those from Mechanix Wear and others.

If you're changing a tire at night, you aren't out to win any fashion contests and this sporty visibility vest just might look pretty good to you. If you happen to be wearing dark clothes the night you have to change a tire this chevron-striped vest included in the kit might save your life.

Here's the complete kit all gathered together in a handy carrying case. This collection of very useful items isn't any good if they're kicking around loose in your trunk. A Victor Automotive Road Safety Set very similar to this one costs about $34.95.

The next major item in our road safety collection is this awesome portable mechanics tool kit from All Trade Tools. The hard shell case is bulletproof and closes tight with four latches. The truly portable kit is only 4 inches thick. Once we open the All Trade case it's plain to see that here is a selection worth bringing along. Along the left side of the 122-piece kit we have a complete set of open- and box-end wrenches ranging in size from 5/16 to 5/8. Also at left is a good set of electrical pliers, electrical tape, and a wide selection of terminal ends and connectors....

....At the right is a selection of metric box- and open-end wrenches sized from 6 to 16 mm. Also at right is a multiple purpose driver with a 10-tip bit set, including various sizes of flat blade, Phillips head, and hex drives. Down the center section from the top is a spark plug gapping tool, battery terminal cleaner, and English and metric Allen wrenches. Sockets include 4 mm to 18 mm and 5/32 to 13/16. All in all, for its size and weight, we think All Trade's 122-Piece Auto Maintenance Tool Kit (PN 835101) is very comprehensive for a travel kit and a great value at about $87.29.

Two inclusions in the All Trade kit merit special note. One is this battery terminal cleaner. Sometimes when you hit the key and get the resounding click it isn't a dead battery at all. The real culprit may turn out to be a dirty and corroded battery connection. Use the open end of the wire cleaner to clean the post itself and the pointed wire brush at the other end to clean out the terminal ring. It has worked for us many times.

If you're heading into the high country or winter weather from warmer climes you may wish to use this radiator anti-freeze tester. Take a small sample of coolant from your radiator and this instrument will indicate how cold your antifreeze protection goes down to. It could save you a major headache if the morning is much colder than you expected.

If all the tools and tricks in your inventory don't help and even your cell phone battery is dead you can always resort to this banner, which is included in the road safety kit.

The third and final kit in our road safety collection is this great first-aid kit from Johnson & Johnson. With 170 different first-aid items it's a comforting item to have along, especially if you have children in your crew.

The J&J First-Aid Kit includes all varieties of bandages as well as Neosporin first-aid ointment. This is especially good for preventing infection on cuts and burns. The kit also includes different types of pain relievers as well as medicines for motion sickness and digestive upset. The kit even includes surgical gloves, tweezers, and a chemical light stick. We spent $21.95 on the first aid kit.

The final item on our list is duct tape. It has an infinite number unanticipated and emergency uses, from holding loose parts after a collision to wrapping a cut or burst cooling hose to get you to the next town. The last time we used it was to tape down our fiberglass hood so we could run the 120mph class at the Silver State Open Road Classic in Ely, Nevada. We now carry this collection of road safety goodies wherever we go.