To keep a sort of survival kit in the car

[Soopertooter]

I travel alone by car with my three children quite often and I always think I ought to keep some essentials in the car. I think if we were to ever get stuck in mega traffic or breakdown I would be so screwed with three kids under five and a few squashed cereal bars from the bottom of the nappy bag .

Is it OTT to keep food, drinks, blankets, maybe even a pop up tent in case we had to wait on a verge in pouring rain? I tend to imagine worst case scenarios!

If you do have something similar in your car, what do you keep in it?

It's not about being nervous limited it's about driving 30000 miles a year for work, often late at night, 250 miles or more in one hit, rural roads regularly.
It's sensible to assume that, on occasion I might get stuck. Yes, I probably wouldn't come to major harm, but I might as well be as comfortable as possible!

There are sensible things that drivers should do - oil checks, regular services, making sure there is enough petrol in the tank.

If making a journey in an exposed area in winter then it would be prudent to take snacks and socks and a blanket/sleeping bag just in case. But for most of us the UK is not Minnesota under a Polar Vortex.

I rarely clean my car out, and drive abroad once a year, so I’ve permanently got a European travel kit in there, with first aid kit etc. I also carry a couple of camping chairs (I’m disabled so couldn’t stand for hours st the side of a motorway if we broke down), a blanket and a couple of big golf umbrellas.