The dire warnings from the people of the North came true. Winter is no longer coming, it’s here! While playing in the snow and enjoying the occasional day off from school are fun parts of the winter season, unexpected precipitation and extreme cold mean that it’s also a time of year when we must take special care of our health. The key to surviving the winter unscathed is to be prepared. That’s why we encourage people to come into our Ashburn urgent care clinic for their flu shot or whenever they feel like they might be coming down with a winter illness. It’s also the reason we recommend making a winter survival kit and keeping it in your car.
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Why Carry A Winter Survival Kit?
Americans spend so much time in their cars that they start to feel like second homes to us. When we’re in the car, speeding down the Interstate, it’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security. Cruising along with the radio on and the heat blasting, we have nothing to fear. But what happens when you hit a patch of black ice and skid into the guardrail? Or you suddenly blow a tire when you’re five miles from an exit in either direction? Suddenly your car become the only line of defense against the elements. If you end up having to wait more than a little while for help to arrive, it’s important to make sure that you’ve got some supplies on hand to keep you safe and comfortable.
What Should Be In Your Winter Survival Kit?
The idea of a winter survival kit is to make sure that you have everything you need to keep yourself warm, safe, and in stable health in the unlikely event that you’re stranded or injured while traveling in your car. Many experts suggest putting these supplies into the trunk of your car in November and leaving them there until April, when the Ashburn area is typically free of snow and cold threats.
- Blankets – If you’re stuck in a snowstorm or in an unpopulated area, staying warm will be of the utmost importance.
- Backup Phone Battery – A charger that fits into your car’s cigarette lighter or USB port will eventually drain the vehicle battery, and you don’t want that. Instead, keep a backup battery pack or a solar charger on hand so that you can make an emergency phone call.
- Flares – In a blizzard, everything looks white and it may be hard for rescuers or a tow truck to find you. Flares make it easy for them to discover your location, even from a long distance away and in inclement weather.
- A First Aid Kit – If you’re in an accident and someone is injured, you need both the supplies and the knowledge to keep them stabilized until help arrives. Don’t just throw a couple of bandaids in the glove box and call it a day. Look for a kit with gauze/ace bandages, leg/arm splints, pain killing medication, scissors, alcohol cleansing wipes, eye wash/eye bath, and more.
- A Bag Of Sand – Not only does this item add weight to your car, which could make it easy to retain traction on packed snow and ice, a bag of sand can be spread around your driving wheels to help you get out of slick spots while traveling.
- Jumper Cables – Extreme cold can kill a car’s battery just as dead as if you left the cabin light on all night. Carrying jumper cables can be the difference between being stranded and on your way in the middle of a snow storm.
Visit Our Urgent Care Clinic For Help With Winter Ailments
If you’re in a fender bender, get a cold, or suffer from winter allergies, the Medics USA urgent care center in Ashburn can help. We offer flexible hours and payment options so that everyone can stay safe and warm in the winter time.
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