Top Things to Keep in the Car at all Times

Keeping items in your car can weigh you down and as such cost you more petrol and mean you get to your destination more slowly. When you read countless articles on going green, one of the things they will often recommend first is making sure that you aren't driving around with unnecessary weight in your boot. But before you get too trigger happy and start throwing out everything that you previously had in your vehicle, it's important to note that some things are in fact highly important and useful to keep there at all times – and many of these can save you a lot of problems in the case of a breakdown or a crash. Here we will look at some of those things.

A Spare Phone: Having a spare mobile in the glove box is something not everyone will do, but which can be highly helpful. This way you will be able to contact friends and relatives when you break down or to call the emergency breakdown service – even if you don't have your normal phone on you or it's lost/damaged.

Numbers: As well as having a phone on you at all times you should also make sure you have the numbers for certain services written down. Specifically this should include things like a towing service, breakdown cover and insurance.

Torch: If you should break down in the dark then a torch can be incredibly useful for seeing what you're doing in the bonnet as well as for attracting help and making sure that people can see you when you're pulled over. Of course you'll need batteries too.

Jump Leads: Having jump leads in the car means that any passer-by can connect up your batteries and give you a boost. This is very helpful if you run out of power, but what it also means is that you can return the favour and help out others you see stranded. Remember – what goes around comes around.

Tools: Your boost should have in it tools specifically for your car such as a wrench and a car jack, but it should also have regular tools such as a hammer and nails or a screwdriver. Make sure you have some of these on your person so that you can make any necessary repairs.

Blanket and a Bottle of Water: If you ever do have an accident then looking after the people in the car should be your number one priority, and for this reason you should have a blanket with you and a bottle of water at all times so that you can at least make sure that everyone is well hydrated and warm.

Petrol Tank: Having a petrol tank means that if you should run out you will be able to head over to a gas station and get some more to bring back. At the same time, having one in your boot that's full can be even more useful as this way you can save yourself even when you're stranded somewhere miles from any petrol.

Jesse Alexander works at Garden State Towing, for more information about their products and services click here