Be Prepared for Winter Driving with This Winter Car Kit [VIDEO]

Winter in the Tri-State can be unpredictable. Some years we have little to no snow, others we have several days of snow, sleet, or freezing rain. When the latter happens and you're trying to drive home, it's important to be prepared in the event you get stranded.

Remember the winter storm of 2004? Allow me to refresh your memory. It was just a few days before Christmas and the Tri-State found themselves under a pretty hefty blanket of snow and ice closing down the stretch of Interstate 64 from Illinois to the Dale-Huntingburg exit, and leaving several holiday travelers stuck inside their car for over half a day.

Another, more recent, example affected my mom and stepdad a couple of years ago while traveling to Panama City Beach, Florida. A winter storm hit Georgia, leaving them stranded in their car for approximately eight hours in Atlanta.

My point is that we should all be prepared for these and other possible scenarios (sliding on ice and ending up in a ditch, for example) by having an emergency kit somewhere in the vehicle.

The video below from the DIY home improvement website, Porch.com, shows all the products you need to keep handy in the event your find yourself and your family stranded for a long period of time.

Out of curiosity, I looked up each item on Walmart's website to see how much this whole thing would cost. Here's how it breaks down:

That comes to a grand total of $71.87. Personally, if I had to choose being stuck in my car for several hours with nothing, or spending just under $72 to make sure I had what I needed to get by until help arrived, I'll gladly pay the $72 — twice.

Categories: Tri-State Weather, Videos