You’re driving down the street when you see it: a young boy on a bicycle gets hit by an SUV. You pull the car over, and run to him. The poor boy is screaming and bleeding from a large gash on his leg. Shaken, you call 911 and stand over him praying for the Fire Department to hurry. You just finished a CPR and First Aid class last week… If only you had some way to help him – some way to stop the bleeding. You run back to your car to grab your first aid kit and it’s empty. Here is a complete list of first aid items you should have in your car.
Here is a list of the Top 7 items that you should keep in your car for emergencies:
- Non-Latex Gloves
- Safety Glasses
- Band –Aids
- Neosporin
- Ice Packs
- Trauma Shears (Big Scissors)
- Gauze
Non Latex Gloves are most important – just as you learned in your CPR class, you need to protect yourself first. Also, many people have latex allergies, so these are the safest to use.
Safety Glasses are a must as well to protect your eyes from blood droplets
Band-Aids – an assorted box will help you with small cuts, etc.
Neosporin or an antibiotic ointment to put on cuts and scrapes.
Ice Packs – 4 Ice packs will be plenty. Remember, for heat stroke or heat exhaustion, one ice pack should go under each armpit, one on the groin, and one on the back of the neck.
Trauma Shears are special scissors designed to cut through clothing. They cost about $2 and are essential to cut clothing before bandaging.
A good supply of gauze for bleeding control. Buy 3 abdominal pads, 2 rolls of gauze, and a handful of 4”x4” and 2”x2” pads. This will be able to handle the vast majority of wounds.
All of these items can be found in a comprehensive basic first aid kit, and should be able to fit in a bag the size of a football. Just tuck it under your seat and you will be prepared to handle anything on the road!
