How much time do you spend in your car each day? From your daily commute, running errands, visiting friends and socialising- it's often hours a day. It makes sense to have a first aid kit in your car.
While we think of our cars as the safest and easiest way to commute, even with car insurance accidents are unpredictable. Make sure you're prepared for the worst – even if the accident doesn't involve you. There could be a third-party accident and if you have a well-stocked first aid kit in your car, you can save lives. If you are looking for car insurance visit https://www.ami.co.nz/car-insurance.
While many people do keep a first aid kit in their cars, most of them will only include the most basic things like an expired band aid or two and maybe a roll of bandage. While these might be enough for a minor accident, it won't be sufficient for a more serious injury.
There are various types of first aid kit you can stock in your car, and which you choose is up to you.
How to choose the best first aid kit for your car
Going online to search for the perfect kit for your car can be overwhelming. There are multiple options with a range of different equipment. Consider the following things when making your choice:
Range of supplies
Time is the biggest factor in case of medical emergency. Paramedics may take some time to arrive, especially if you are a long way from a town. Make sure the kit has all the basics, and other commonly required items. Think about what you might need in case of an accident or emergency.
Weight
Make sure that the kit fits in your car and is easy to carry. Heavy first aid kits will be difficult for you to carry around in an emergency, or if it's too bulky you may find yourself removing it from the car when you're packing for a trip.
Skills
Choose a kit which can be used even by people who have no medical skills or knowledge. Often kits will come with basic instructions so that in an emergency, even untrained people can correctly use the items.
Swiss Safe 2-in-1 first aid kit
This Swiss Safe 2-in-1 first aid kit comes with a total of 32 first aid items. Right from first aid tapes, elastic bandages and gauze pads to an emergency blanket and a CPR mask, this kit has almost everything you would need in a case of emergency.
Not just first aid items, this kit also includes a whistle to attract attention if needed. Despite having so many items, this first aid bag measures only 23 cm long, making it easy to fit in the glove box and weighs just 0.5kg.
This kit is not just fully stocked but also intelligently organised and you won't have any problem finding items when required. Also, every item is properly labelled, removing any chance of confusion.
Every item is properly sealed to prevent any kind of contamination or infection.
The kit comes with an 18-page guide to help administer the most appropriate first aid, even if the user has never done it before. This guide will help a person do the safest thing for the patient, even if you're panicking.
Aootek upgraded first aid survival kit
The Aootek upgraded first aid survival kit is not just your regular medical emergency kit, but a proper survival kit. This kit contains tools and items which will help you survive natural disasters, major emergencies and any other situation that requires more than just medical help to survive. In case you are lost in the forest or trapped somewhere, there are multiple extra tools to help you make it out alive.
There are a range of pliers, can opener, saw blade, needle nose pliers, wire cutters and strippers and metal or wood files. Also, this kit has compass, fire starter, whistle, flashlight and knives, which are reliable and durable. This kit would be great in the car, boat, or when camping.
However, this kit has one shortcoming. Using this kit or searching for a particular item may be challenging, as will fitting everything back into the case.
St John general first aid kit
In a soft case that unzips fully, this St John kit is a standard kit for many in NZ. It just has the basics- plasters, wound dressings, saline wash, scissors, tweezers and gloves. There are no instructions for how to use things and there's nothing outside of very basic minor injury care.
Tripworthy compact first aid kit
The Tripworthy compact first aid kit will fit in the budget of almost everyone. But despite being the cheapest on this list, this kit does not compromise on features and quality.
Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a certification enough to prove that the kit is designed with the highest standards and all the items in the kit are also FDA approved.
The kit has every item needed to handle a minor injury and includes some survival items. The kit is portable, compact and travel-friendly.
The bag is water resistant and all the items are properly wrapped in transparent ziplock bags, eliminating any chance of water damage. Also, as the bags are transparent, you can easily see everything you need without having to open every bag.
Make the choice best for you
Think about what sort of scenarios you might need the kit for. If you're going camping, tramping or out in the wild, a kit with extras like the Aootek will cover most eventualities. If this is purely just going to stay in the car, the Swiss Safe kit may be all you need. Regardless of which kit you choose, make sure you have the basics and know how to use them- because you never know when you might need it.