Despite what some of my colleagues think, it was not that long ago when I was a 17 year old driver having just passed my test and heading out on the road for the first time. Every day more and more people pass their test and do exactly the same thing and they are not all young! They are all, however, inexperienced and although there is no shame in that there is potential for mistakes and dangerous situations.

When I passed I felt completely in control, I was utterly convinced I knew it all and could happily control the car in any situation. Of course I was wrong but I don’t think we should be insulting new drivers by just assuming they can’t cope. So if you are a new young driver full of confidence or an older person new to the road with nothing but fear in the seat next to you here are some essentials you should have onboard at all times to avoid some easily occurring situations that could lead to some serious problems.

Seat belt cutter

This very simple tool can literally be a life saver. First of all, don’t worry, it’s not a knife! The blade is hidden deep in the handle and the gap is only just big enough to slide the belt in. The idea is that in the event of an accident where you can’t get the belt undone you can grab this tool and slice through it allowing you to free yourself. This could be useful in a number of situations. You might have rolled the car and the other seat is squashing the belt release so you can’t get to it. Things might have got so thrown around the belt is caught and tangled, or you passenger might be unconscious and unable to undo their own belt. In any of these circumstances and many others the ability to quickly and easily cut through a seat belt could save someone’s life. Most of these cutters come with a fixing bracket so you can securely place it somewhere within easy reach whichever way up you are!

For seatbelt cutters try – http://goo.gl/EZdQGd

Escape Hammer

Often these handy little hammers come with the aforementioned seatbelt cutter in the handle so look out for a double tool. Escape hammers are used to break the glass on the car windows to aid escape in the event the doors are jammed shut. The thought of a hammer big enough to break a car window may conjure images of something just shy of a sledge hammer but these things are actually very small and light. The job is not done with weight but with a sharp point that focuses all the energy of the blow into a tiny area, thus breaking the glass. Being able to escape through a window could be vital in getting you or your passengers out or allowing help in, as with the cutters, this tool should be secured within very easy reach!

For escape hammers try – http://goo.gl/nzYoxc

Fire Extinguisher

There has always been mixed opinions about carrying car fire extinguishers because of one simple issue; should you ever try and tackle a car fire? The answer in my opinion is actually no, you should not. They can get out of hand very fast, the temperatures involved are beyond comprehension and that’s not even considering the bath full of highly flammable liquid sloshing around. That being said, just because I would never suggest anyone voluntarily attempts to tackle a fire, what if you don’t have a choice? In the awful situation of a fire starting after a rollover or heavy collision where the driver is trapped I think it’s crazy not to at least be able to discharge a small fire extinguisher inside the car to try and hold off a larger conflagration. You can get excellent hand held car extinguishers that can be mounted inside the cabin securely and can be grabbed in an emergency. But do remember, these things need to be serviced periodically so buy from a proper supplier not your high street “jack of all trades”. If you do this the company will be able to service it for you and keep it in tip top condition. After all, the only thing worse than needing to use a fire extinguisher is needing to use one that doesn’t work!

For car fire extinguishers try – www.f-e-v.co.uk

Car Safety Kit

OK so this one is more than one essential rolled into a useful pack but the combination of items could be invaluable even in the most minor of incidents. Whatever kit you choose, you must check it contains a red triangle, a first aid kit and a high vis vest at the very least. The kits are small and just sit in the boot gathering dust hopefully, but they are worth their weight in gold.

As a new driver, the odds are you will have a car much like my first car…a fairly rubbish one, and the sad fact about rubbish cars is that they tend to break down. A breakdown is not the end of the world but if it’s in an awkward spot on a bend or hard shoulder then you need to be able to safely alert other cars you are there. One of my biggest rage inducing practices is where people place the red triangle about 3 meters from the back of their car…how helpful! As I am travelling 50 mph round a corner I get the pleasure of noticing the triangle about 0.1 second before I plough into the back of your car. The idea is to place it at least 500 meters back from the vehicle so I have time to hit the brakes! This advice could save your life. The rest of the contents are just as useful, first aid kits are always good for obvious reasons, as is the high vis vest. You might feel like an idiot in it but if you need to make traffic aware of you or any other incident you are involved in put it on. As a driver try and look at pedestrians and imagine if you would see them if they were in the middle of the road, the odds are you wouldn’t, not least because you wont be expecting them to be there. A high vis vest will make all the difference and, just like the triangle, could well save your life.

Sat Nav

I don’t think in this day and age there is any excuse for anyone to travel without a sat nav. You may think they are just for long journeys and you know the route to work really well. You may also think they are too expensive or just annoying, you might be right about the last one but all the other reasons for not having one are wrong. You are an 18 year old girl driving on your own back from an evening shift, due to a crash you get diverted off the dual carriage way onto a tiny B road but the diversion is because of an accident and there are no further signs..what do you do? Your dull routine journey on a wintery night has gone from Happy Gilmore to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2 minutes! You never plan to get lost but it happens and not on the long journeys that you imagine it would. In this kind of situation you just punch in the home postcode and off you go. Without a sat nav you would have to either try and find a petrol station or call for help, I would never, ever suggest asking for help by knocking on doors! And please, if you can, chuck an old road map in the boot, they cost nothing and can be very useful if technology lets you down which can happen.

Naturally there are so many other things that are important to carry with you like a small bundle of warm clothes and some trainers/boots. Snow can come down fast and you might have to sit it out or walk…don’t do it in your work t shirt, you might not make it, never underestimate the weather. Remember to have a phone charger, needing help and not having a phone could make a bad situation turn into a tragic one.

For a cheap and half decent satnav try – http://goo.gl/3FiuE9

Driving is without doubt one of the best things I have ever learnt to do, I enjoy it every day even now, but the stellar joy of having that level of independence when I was 17 can hardly be put into words. Even as an older driver the ability to go where you want when you want is life changing but with comes the potential for some serious problems for you and your passengers. I won’t tell you how to drive, I will leave that for another article, but do equip yourself with the items mentioned above and increase your odds of many years more behind the wheel.