WINNIPEG — If you haven’t already packed a winter safety kit into your vehicle, now’s the time.
With temperatures now plummeting into the mid minus twenties, drivers should have a kit that ensures they’d be able to spend the night in their vehicle if they were to go off the road or experience a break down, said Gordon Giesbrecht, a thermophysiologist with the University of Manitoba.
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The most important part of the kit is an extra set of winter clothes, “from a toque to a jacket, parka, mitts down to boots and an extra blanket or sleeping bag,” he said.
However even if a driver doesn’t have a kit, it’s imperative they stay with their vehicle, he continued.
“There’s lots of people who have left cars walking to some place that they could see and they’re found the next day frozen to death in the middle of the field,” said Giesbrecht.
Penny Scott-Mazur, who does a lot of driving outside the Perimeter Highway, was in a situation where she had to make that choice last year.
“I was stuck at the side of the road without cell service and without a vehicle I could start, that’s a real rude awakening in December,” she said.
Scott-Mazur keeps plenty of clothing in the back of her SUV along with snacks just in case she finds herself in a similar situation.
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“I’d rather do that and stay warm and sit in the car then have to be outside trying to flag somebody down,” said Scott-Mazur.
Giesbrecht also said a wide-based candle can be a valuable addition to a winter safety kit to provide heat, a psychological boost and a signal light.
For more information on what items to include in a winter safety kit and other tips for beating the cold weather head to Giesbrecht’s website.
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