You have taken the time to teach your delivery drivers and other workers how to drive safely and follow the rules of the road, but what about emergencies they can’t help? Things like collisions with other vehicles, automobile accidents caused by extreme weather conditions and vehicles breaking down could occur with little or no warning. Make sure your employees are prepared with an emergency car kit. The kit should include everything they could need in different types of emergency situations while in their vehicle.
Health and First Aid
The first set of emergency contents to have in your vehicle kit is for health and first aid. For instance, if one of your service professionals is driving and gets into a minor accident, he may need some quick care before being able to reach a doctor to have their injuries looked at. The best thing to have in the vehicle is a first aid kit. This should include items like gauze, bandages, antiseptic cream, antiseptic cream, compresses, scissors and painkillers like aspirin. It also helps to have bottled water and some granola bars.
Car Tools and Maintenance
If the vehicle breaks down while an employee is driving, they should have some basic tools and supplies for simple repairs. Make sure the car kit includes: jumper cables, roadside flares, oil, antifreeze, fuses, a flashlight with batteries, screwdrivers, plier, wrench, tire inflator, tire pressure gauge, and tire chains (if they will be in an area with snow or ice) and vise grips. A fire extinguisher is also recommended if the employee is driving a larger semi truck, as well as reflective triangles for warning oncoming traffic.
Personal Items
There are many reasons your driver needs to have personal items on-hand. These include getting into a collision, helping someone else in an emergency and being delayed due to weather conditions stopping traffic. Personal items in the car kit should include a pen and paper, blankets, change of clothes, pocket knife, rain gear, pillows and a sleeping bag, toilet paper, paper towels and folding chairs. Non-perishable foods, bottled water and some activities are also ideal. Another thing to consider keeping in the vehicle is a charged cell phone, such as a prepaid phone that is always kept turned off, fully charged and in the vehicle in case of emergencies.
Additional Items
Finally, some extra items might come in handy in certain situations. If there is room in the emergency car kit, have a help sign that lets drivers announce the emergency to others driving by, a roll of duct tape and some rags or paper towels.
After preparing an emergency car kit for all vehicles used by your employees, also make sure you have a business auto insurance policy. This is a commercial policy that provides protection from vehicle or property damage, bodily injury, theft and vandalism.
