Winter is upon us and it’s important to make winterizing your vehicle an immediate priority. Travelling during the cold season with a car rental in Vancouver, whether just to work or to the cottage, is no easy feat. Planning ahead and preparing yourself if the car breaks down, gets stuck in a ditch or suffers a collision is imperative to your safety. Before you get stuck on a terribly cold morning or find yourself with a dead battery waiting outside of work, get your emergency winter kit ready.
Follow Expo Rent-A-Car Vancouver’s four essential things to keep in your emergency car kit this winter.
1. Reliable Ice Scraper and Snow Brush
The most vital tool to have in your emergency kit is an ice scraper and snow brush. Without either, you could be stuck with several inches of snow on your vehicle as you’re headed home from work or a windshield covered in ice in the early morning. Before the cold weather hits, pack a scraper in your car to be readily available at any point you need it. Clear your entire front and back windshields, side windows, the top of the car, and the front and backlights on your vehicle for safety.
2. Jumper Cables
Car batteries are especially vulnerable to cold temperatures and can fail when you need them most. Prepare yourself for the worst possible scenario by having jumper cables in your vehicle ready to jump-start your battery and have you back on the road on a chilly day. Waiting for roadside assistance in the cold can be dangerous, but with jumper cables, you can have access to your warm vehicle in no time.
3. Gloves and Extra Winter Clothes
Using the snow brush and ice scraper in the wintertime without winter gear to keep you warm is a recipe for disaster. Pack extra gloves, a warm hat, extra warm pants or snow pants, a jacket and boots to ensure you’ll be safe and warm whether cleaning the car or waiting for a tow. On days you did not anticipate the temperature to sink so low, you will be prepared with extra bundles to make that commute or trip up north more comfortable.
4. Your Cell Phone and Charger Cable
It’s unlikely that you’ll leave the house without your cell phone, however, it may not always be fully charged when you do. You rely on your cell phone for any type of emergency, which means you should have it fully charged often, and especially during long trips. If your vehicle has a USB port installed that allows you to plug a charging cable into it, you can charge your phone while driving as well. Cell phones are equipped with a flashlight to help during an emergency, which is another reason to have the device charged.
At Expo Rent-A-Car, our safe, high-quality and comfortable car rental options in Downtown Vancouver will ensure the best winter travel. We guarantee a short, straightforward, and easy-to-understand rental process to get you on the road with the vehicle sooner. Get in touch today for a winter car rental!