Vehicle emergencies

Your vehicle is a shelter, a radio base and a heater. Keep it working, and know what to do when it stops.

Jump-starting a flat battery

You need jumper cables and a working vehicle (or a charged jump pack). Check the owner's manual first: some cars, especially hybrids and electric vehicles, have special jump points or must not be used to jump another car.

1. Park the working car close, without the cars touching. Turn both engines off, set parking brakes, and switch off lights and accessories.
2. Find the battery terminals: positive (+, usually red) and negative (−, usually black). Do not jump a battery that is cracked, leaking or frozen.
3. Connect in this order:
   1. Red clamp to the dead battery's positive (+).
   2. Other red clamp to the good battery's positive (+).
   3. Black clamp to the good battery's negative (−).
   4. Last black clamp to bare, unpainted metal on the dead car's engine or frame, away from the battery. Not on the dead battery's negative terminal: a spark there can ignite battery gas.
4. Start the working car and let it run for a few minutes.
5. Try to start the dead car. Crank for no more than about 10 seconds. If it does not start, wait a few more minutes and try again.
6. Once it runs, remove the clamps in reverse order: black from the engine metal, black from the good battery, red from the good battery, red from the formerly dead battery. While removing them, do not let a loose clamp touch another clamp or any metal.
7. Drive for at least 20 to 30 minutes, or charge the battery properly, so it recharges.

Jump packs (portable lithium starters) work the same way: red to positive, black to engine metal, then switch on. Keep one charged in winter.

Flat tyre

1. Get fully off the road on firm, flat ground. Hazard lights on, parking brake on. Chock the wheel diagonally opposite the flat with a wheel chock or a rock.
2. Loosen the wheel nuts half a turn while the wheel is on the ground.
3. Jack the car up at the jacking point shown in the manual. Never put any part of your body under a car held only by a jack.
4. Remove the nuts and wheel, fit the spare, and tighten the nuts by hand in a star pattern.
5. Lower the car, then tighten the nuts fully in a star pattern. Check them again after a few miles.
6. Temporary "space-saver" spares have a speed limit, often 50 mph (80 km/h), and are for short distances only. See the label and the owner's manual.

Stuck or stranded in snow or cold

• Stay with the vehicle. It is easier to find than a person on foot.
• Tie a bright (ideally red) cloth to the antenna or door. Turn on the dome light at night while the engine is running, so the battery is not drained.
• Clear the exhaust pipe of snow before running the engine, and run it only about 10 minutes every hour for heat, with a window opened slightly. A blocked exhaust fills the car with carbon monoxide, which has no smell.
• Move arms and legs to keep blood flowing; huddle together and use blankets, coats and floor mats for warmth.
• To get unstuck: clear snow from around the wheels and under the car, straighten the wheels, and use sand or non-clumping cat litter under the drive wheels, or floor mats as a last resort. Accelerate gently.

Winter car kit

Blanket and warm clothes, shovel, ice scraper, sand or non-clumping cat litter, jumper cables or a jump pack, flashlight and batteries, water and food, first-aid kit, phone charger, and a bright cloth for signalling.

Sources

• National Weather Service: During winter storms (stranded in a vehicle) (US government, public domain)
• National Weather Service: Before winter storms (car kit) (US government, public domain)
• NHTSA: Winter driving tips (US government, public domain)
• Ready.gov: Winter weather (FEMA, US government, public domain)
• CDC: Carbon monoxide poisoning basics (US government, public domain)
• AAA: How to jump a battery and getting unstuck from snow (links only)
• Your vehicle's owner's manual, which takes priority for jump points and jacking points