To think I should be better prepared

[Aliveinwanderland]

These people had to stay in the cars for up
8 hours today with no access to food or water. It just got me thinking about how I would manage this with 11 month old DS!

I guess I should have some bottled water and snacks in the boot for just in case. Anything else people recommend for if you get stuck on a motorway for hours?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4898440/Police-close-M1-directions-causing-five-mile-queues.html

I'm lost, Whose these poodle?

*People

Nappies and wipes, something warm to wear incase for whatever reason you need to get out of the car, toys that'll fit into a rucksack, an incar phone charger for yourself.

If you're going to be a reasonably long distance from home (too far to walk) then it's never a bad idea to take a few things with you to make it a little more bearable if something like this happens.

You don't have to take a full on survival kit and 400 tins of beans, just a few bits and bobs. Water is top of the list. As we approach winter (although they're usually not harsh in the UK) a blanket and a torch are your basics, along with a fully charged (and functioning) mobile phone. Some non perishable food like chocolate etc.

I could ramble on but those are your basics.

I try not to leave the house without a couple of Tracker bars and a spare ham sandwich.

I always have supplies in my car.

First aid kit
Water
Cereal bars
Wet wipes
Black bags
Hi Vis jacket
Whistle
Seatbelt cutter/window punch on my keys
Spare trainers
Umbrella
Puppy pads (In case of vomiting or pee)
Fleeces
Blanket
Foil blankets
Towel

It all fits into a small holdall.

I also carry a small pop-up tent (in case I have to get 3 small children out of the car and move to the verge. I figured I could herd them into the tent and keep them safe and sheltered while waiting for help.

I also have an emergency overnight bag. It has a change of clothes and some toiletries and medicines.

The dc always carry a small backpack with water, spare trousers, and socks, plasters etc.

I think it is sensible to be prepared.

It would be awful. Trying to keep the kids reasonably quiet and keep them sitting reasonably still when they are hungry or bored.
In fact I would be hungry and bored too, and in need of a wee!

I don't understand why police don't start turning all the cars round and sending them another way, or why cars keep joining the back of the queue. Nightmare.

Ditto Happy.

I've always had full emergency stuff in the car (years of driving gazillions of miles).

It would be awful with DS, he hates being in the car so to have to sit in it for hours without moving would be hard work!

The pop up tent is a brilliant idea!

I don't understand why police don't start turning all the cars round and sending them another way, or why cars keep joining the back of the queue. Nightmare.

The two problems are related - a load of cars driving the wrong way down the motorway would cause a pretty massive problem unless you shut off all entrances to it, which would be a implausibly huge operation! Getting them to turn round wouldn't be the easiest in and of itself. Not everyone uses a sat nav with traffic or listens to the travel news, so people join the queue because they don't know it'll be there and then they're stuck.

I got stuck in a five hour jam a couple of years ago when a lorry caught fire, I was driving between cities and had to ring work at the destination city and ask them to cancel all of my appointments as I wasn't going to make it. I by chance had a few bottles of water in the boot, and as we were all fully stationary on the motorway asked the cars to either side of me if they needed any. One of them turned out to be a mum and a couple kids and she was very grateful as she had nothing with her for that length of time.

I have always had a just-in-case box in my boot. Contents varied over the years, but currently include:

Jump leads.
Swiss Army knife.
Plastic cutlery.
Old woollen army-surplus blanket.
A big bottle of water (never drink from this bottle, always decant into cup or little bottle).
Carrier bags.
Nappies.
Bag of little toys.

Just the thought of this makes me feel really panicky and scared to go on a motorway but I know that's just my anxiety. I think I'd be really useless and end up having a panic attack.
It's definitely prompted me to put some supplies in my boot though.

Consider a she wee or similar if you are on the motorway with your child a lot. Try it out at home first!!!