How to Survive Being Trapped in Your Car During a Snowstorm.

For most people, snowstorms and blizzards are best experienced indoors, perhaps by the fireplace with a warm drink and good company. Finding yourself trapped in your car, whether relatively near others or in an isolated area, can quickly turn into a shivering, starving, thirsty nightmare. Surviving in your car during a snowstorm requires calm so you can make wise use of your car to meet your two fundamental needs – shelter for warmth and enough water to drink. Stocking up on additional supplies for this type of situation will help cover those needs and meet others, such as eating, staying dry and being able to leave once the storm clears.

Steps

Part 1

Preparing for Potentially Dangerous Driving Conditions

1. 

   Know your level of danger. In most cold-weather climates, people know or learn what is reasonably safe for winter driving, and what conditions are dangerous. In most industrialized countries, weather forecasting makes it unlikely that blizzards will arrive without warning. Even a severe snowstorm is generally expected several days in advance.
   • During a severe snowstorm, travel should be curtailed unless it is a real emergency. And even then, consider if emergency vehicles are more equipped to handle your issue than you are.
   • If you are unfamiliar with driving in winter conditions, as a general rule, do not drive.
   • Take winter weather advisories, watches, and warnings (or equivalents) seriously. Having to re-schedule your vacation may be an inconvenience, but getting into a car accident is a much bigger problem.
   • Keep a few useful winter tools. A more detailed list will follow below. Most drivers will not typically have an entire trunk full of emergency items, but in most cold weather climates, drivers should usually keep the following as a precaution:
     • Sand or cat litter: for emergency traction. The weight of sand can also help traction in lighter vehicles although fuel efficiency will be reduced slightly. Cat litter has the added bonus if put in a tied-off sock on the dashboard, of drawing in moisture and preventing condensation on the windshield
     • Wool blanket: In case of getting stuck, this helps with freezing temperatures. It is also handy for impromptu seating in winter events.
     • Extra boots: If you are wearing inappropriate foot gear, your feet could freeze. Putting an old pair of boots in the trunk helps cover this issue. Also, it is handy if you forgot your boots and it snows.
     • Extra gloves, hat, scarf: In case of being stuck in freezing weather, these items are vital. These can be old and mismatched, but they should be warm.

2. 

   Keep your car well-serviced. Before winter arrives or you plan to drive in snowy conditions, make sure your antifreeze and windshield wiper fluids are full, your wipers are working properly, your tires are properly inflated and have sufficient tread, and that your brakes and battery are both in good shape. Check to ensure all of your lights work and that your engine oil has been changed. Freezing temperatures and bad road conditions greatly affect how both the mechanics of your vehicle function and how your vehicle handles on the road.

3. 

   Have plenty of gas. When the weather is bad, make sure you have a full tank of gas. In really hazardous winter weather watches and blizzard watches the effects of the storm can be 72 hours or more. So the more gas you have, the better in case you become stranded. You will need it to help you stay warm, to ensure your fuel lines do not freeze, that your battery stays charged, and that you have enough gas left to leave after the storm, if needed.

4. 

   Buy a cooler and a storage tub. Your first priorities are supplies needed to provide warmth, fluids and food, followed by various instruments needed to weather and escape the storm. A hard-walled cooler to store both your food and water supplies is nearly ideal. Also get a hard plastic, durable storage tub for the rest of your supplies. It needs a tight-sealing lid so if you must take it out of your vehicle, nothing inside will get wet.

5. 

   Collect items for staying warm. During a blizzard or snowstorm, when temperatures are below freezing, a person can only survive for about three hours without shelter from wind and moisture, two of the ways a person’s body loses heat. Since your vehicle will be your shelter, you want to add supplemental items.
   • Keep heat inside the vehicle using insulating items such as newspapers or blankets.
   • Keep heat inside your body. Clothing and blankets, for example, do not provide heat or warmth but they’re vital because they preserve or help trap the heat your body generates.
   • Hypothermia, which only requires a 2-3 degree drop in a person’s body temperature, is the chief cause of death from exposure to freezing temperatures. The first effect is an inability to think clearly.
   • Put one wool blanket for each person you anticipate could be in the vehicle in your trunk or in the storage tub, plus two more for other uses. Wool dries quickly if it gets wet and keeps you much warmer than many other materials.
   • You want to also add an extra set of clothing for each person, plus two sets of socks per person. Wool socks are best. Avoid cotton clothing, such as jeans, as these become essentially useless at retaining warmth when wet.
   • Include scarves, hats and water-resistant gloves to help preserve heat in high-loss areas like the head and neck and to keep your hands from becoming wet.
   • Keep a pair of winter boots in the car. In northern rural climates, it is fairly common for people to keep a pair of boots (typically old) in the trunk. In an emergency, bad footwear can be dangerous in the snow, leading to frostbite.
   • Keep hand warmers in the car. While good gloves or mittens are better prevention, these are handy. You can get in the camping and hunting goods sections of big box stores.
   • Get 5-10 newspapers, depending upon your vehicle size, to insulate your vehicle’s windows. This will help trap in the heat your bodies produce, the heat your vehicle produces if and when you turn it on and to serve as a barrier against the wind.

6. 

   Prepare for your water needs. A person can survive for three days without fluids, though it would not be a pleasant experience by any means. To stay adequately hydrated, a person should consume 64 ounces of fluids per day. The typical water bottle is about 15-16 ounces, which would be 12-13 bottles per person for a 72-hour period. For a family of five, that’s 60-65 bottles of water, an unrealistic number to carry in your vehicle at all times. While jugs are an alternative, the plastic used is more likely to warp and break when exposed to extreme temperatures. Therefore, the following is recommended.
   • Yes, you can melt snow to produce water. However, snow is mostly air, and produces surprisingly little water. While a camp stove, burner, or campfire could potentially melt snow to produce water, this is not ideal.
   • Put enough water bottles in the cooler for each person for one day. So, for example, you would put about 20 bottles in the cooler for a family of five. If you have extra room, load up with as many bottles as possible.
   • Since this won’t be enough if you’re stranded for longer than one day, you’ll need to melt snow. To do this, you need the following: a 2- to 3-pound coffee can with its lid, several boxes of waterproof matches, three 2” diameter candles and one or more metal cups.

7. 

   Get the appropriate foods. Food is the body’s fuel, supplying the energy needed to generate heat. When a person’s body is exposed to freezing temperatures, over half of the calories consumed go toward maintaining a normal body temperature. Thus, the colder it is, the more food people need. In normal temperatures, an adequately hydrated person can survive without food from 1- 6 weeks, depending on a number of factors. In freezing temperatures, that number tops out at about 3 weeks.
   • Given that the average American eats about 2,300 calories per day, half of which would be stripped away to regulate body temperature while trapped in a vehicle, minimally each person should eat about 3,500 calories per day.
   • That is a quite a bit of food for a family of five over the course of 72 hours. To make it all fit in your cooler, buy dense non-perishable, high-calorie foods, such as granola bars, beef jerky, nuts, trail mix, canned fruits and chocolate.
   • Scale down according to your needs. Most individuals caught in a blizzard will not be stuck for days. Unless you are going to be in a very remote area, you do not need to prepare many days worth of rations. In reasonably well-settled areas, you can likely expect help to reach you in hours and not days. Therefore, you may want to consider having the equivalent of a solid snack. These are often stowed in the glove compartment of the vehicle in snowy climates.
     • Make sure this item is shelf-stable and not likely to perish anytime soon.
     • This food should likely not be a favorite of yours, as you will likely be tempted to eat it and not replace it when an emergency arises.
     • Do not store water in glove compartment, as if the water bottle breaks it will likely ruin your registration, insurance card, maps, service records, and so on. The trunk is usually better.
     • If you are diabetic, be very sure to have a snack available.

8. 

   Gather the rest of your supplies. You’ll need to collect a number of items to dig your vehicle out of the snow if needed, to assist others in helping to locate you, to be attuned to weather and road conditions, to take care of basic needs if trapped and to improvise and fix unanticipated problems. Once you’ve collected your supplies, listed below, put them in your storage tub. Regularly check to make sure everything is in good shape and working.
   • Flares to indicate your location to rescuers.
   • A piece of bright red material about 1-by-4 feet in size.
   • A wind-up or transistor radio with several spare batteries so you can keep tabs on the weather and road conditions. Also, for entertainment, as boredom tends to cause people to do unwise things.
   • Flashlights with very bright bulbs and plenty of batteries to use at night and to use in signaling for help.
   • Jumper cables, which you may need when the storm passes, and your vehicle’s battery has died.
   • A collapsible, preferably metal snow shovel.
   • Tow rope to either a) help get your vehicle unstuck or b) tie one end to the vehicle and the other to a person’s waist if it’s absolutely necessary for someone to leave the vehicle during the storm.
   • Compass.
   • Bag of sand, salt or cat litter to give your tires traction if stuck.
   • Long-handled ice scraper with a brush.
   • Tool kit for any surprises.
   • Pocket knife with a can opener.
   • Wind-up watch to keep track of time.
   • First-aid kit.
   • Emergency supply of medicine for each person for 72 hours.
   • One pair of tall, waterproof boots for the driver of the vehicle.
   • Tissue paper, paper towels and garbage bags for sanitary purposes.
   • Period products and baby formula, diapers and wipes, if necessary.

Part 2

Doing Your Best to Avoid Becoming Stranded

1. 

   Watch the weather. If a storm is approaching and you don’t need to leave, stay put. Make sure you understand the difference between winter storm watches and warnings. A winter storm watch indicates there’s a 50-80% chance that a considerable amount of sleet, snow, ice or a combination of two or more will affect a certain area. A winter storm warning means there’s at least an 80% chance that one or more are on their way to a certain area. A blizzard warning or watch signals that significant amounts of falling snow and strong winds of at least 35 mph (56.3 km/h) that will reduce visibility to less than ¼ of a mile are highly likely or expected in the next 12-72 hours.
   • Remember: While you may feel confident driving in blustery weather, plenty of people you’re sharing the road with are less experienced. And, Mother Nature hits even the most seasoned drivers with unexpected surprises.
   • If you plan to drive in potentially hazardous conditions, always let a trusted friend or family member know of your plans and route.

2. 

   Unclog snow from your vehicle's exhaust pipe first if stuck. If you find yourself stuck and try to dislodge your vehicle to leave, you first need to turn off your vehicle and make sure your exhaust pipe isn’t clogged with snow; if it is clogged, your vehicle can quickly fill up with poisonous carbon monoxide. To unclog it, turn off your engine, put on gloves and dig out as much snow as possible. If you don’t have gloves, use a branch or something similar.

3. 

   Remove snow and ice from and around your vehicle. It you’ve been stuck for awhile and decide to try to get your vehicle out, start removing snow from the roof of your vehicle and work your way down. While you’re doing this, turn on the engine and defrost to start melting any ice on your front and back windshields. Next, take a shovel and remove as much snow as possible around the tires and the sides of your vehicle. Try to also dig a path in the direction you want your vehicle to go. Scrape your windshields last. If you don’t have a traditional scraper, use a credit card or CD case to help remove ice that hasn’t already thawed.
   • If you don’t have an ice scraper with a brush to remove the snow from your car, use the branch of an evergreen tree or a newspaper (whatever you can find) to sweep it off.
   • If you don’t have a shovel, use what’s available to you, such as a hubcap or a Frisbee in the trunk.

4. 

   Rock and roll your vehicle. To get your car unstuck, turn your wheels side to side a couple of times to push any remaining snow out of the way. If you have all-wheel or 4-wheel drive, make sure it’s engaged. Shift into forward (or the lowest gear possible on a standard), gently press the gas and ease forward; even a couple of inches is good. Then shift into reverse and gently press the gas to rock backward. Repeat this process until you hopefully get enough traction to pull out and keep going.
   • If your tires start spinning, let up on the gas immediately because you’ll only dig yourself in deeper by spinning the tires.
   • Have a passenger stand outside the vehicle, hold onto the inside of the driver’s window and help push.
   • Never let anyone stand behind the vehicle and push because the car could slide back and cause serious injury.
   • If you don’t get anywhere with this, look for traction elsewhere. If you have cat litter, salt or sand, spread some around either your front or back tires, depending upon whether you have a front-wheel or rear-wheel drive vehicle. If it’s an all-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicle, spread it by all four tires.
   • If you don’t have these materials, use your car mats, small rocks or pebbles, pine combs, twigs or small branches as traction.

5. 

   Escape early, if you’re able. If a snowstorm is just beginning and you are unable to dislodge your vehicle, try to get help by flagging other drivers and by calling authorities. The situation will likely only get worse. Keep in mind, however, that distances are greatly distorted by blowing snow. What seems near is often much further away. Thus, leaving your vehicle is only advised if help is assured and in clear and certain sight. Otherwise, you have a much higher chance of surviving the storm by using your vehicle as your shelter.

Part 3

Setting Up and Wisely Using Your Shelter

1. 

   Stay with your vehicle. It may be tempting to try to get out of your situation by walking out, but if you are in an area without a lot of human development this is often a poor decision..
   • The one exception: By staying with the car you are in physical danger, such as if it catches on fire or may go into a body of water.
   • A car is pretty good shelter and unless there is obviously better options in short distance, such as a house, barn, or store.
   • Remember that distances become distorted by falling and blowing snow.
   • Additionally, snow covers holes, sharp objects and other hazardous objects, so heading out on foot is a serious risk in the midst of a storm.

2. 

   Notify authorities with your cellphone. Typically, most people now have a cellphone that they carry with them at all times. Before your cellphone’s battery dies, pinpoint your precise location using your vehicle or phone’s GPS, call 911 and tell them where you are stuck and who is in the vehicle. Make sure to also include other relevant information, such as how much water and food you have, how much gas you have and if someone in the vehicle has a serious medical condition.
   • If you have enough charge left in your phone, make one short phone call to someone you think is not also stuck and who will advocate on your behalf with authorities to ensure you are rescued, if it comes to that. Make sure you tell them your location.
   • Use your phone's charge wisely. If you are in your car for days, you may have to turn off your cellphone when you are done to save any remaining battery charge for later emergency use. But turning it off also means you will not get any incoming calls or texts.
   • If you turn on your vehicle periodically, you can also charge your phone as it takes relatively little drain on the battery.

3. 

   Make yourself visible to rescuers. When a major storm hits, sometimes thousands of people can no longer get anywhere in their vehicles. Some choose to abandon their vehicles; others stay. Since emergency personnel will make rescuing people from occupied cars their priority, you need to make it clear that you are still in your vehicle. First put on your tall, waterproof boots over your pants, and put on a hat, scarf, gloves, and heavy coat so you don’t get wet, which you want to avoid at all costs if possible. Getting wet in freezing temperatures will drop your body temperature quickly and put you at risk of hypothermia.
   • Tie the red piece of fabric to your vehicle’s antenna as a sign to rescuers. If you don't have an antenna, find a spot high on your vehicle where it can blow in the wind or tie it to the door handle facing the direction from which help is most likely to arrive.
   • If you don’t have a red piece of fabric, find something in your vehicle to use. Responders will recognize this as a sign that you’re in need of assistance.
   • If stranded in a remote area, stomp out “HELP” or “SOS” very largely in the snow to make yourself visible to those searching by air. If you have access to sticks or tree branches, use them to fill in your letters. You may need to do this again when it stops snowing.
   • Honk your horn using Morse code for SOS, but ONLY when your vehicle is running to conserve your battery. Do three short honks, three long honks, three short honks, pause for 10-15 seconds and repeat.
   • Raise the hood of your vehicle after the snow has stopped falling to indicate to rescuers that you need help.
   • Take turns staying awake to be on the lookout for help!

4. 

   Clear the exhaust pipe regularly. Even if you’ve already unclogged your exhaust pipe while trying to get your vehicle unstuck, you’ll need to do it more than once if it continues to snow and you are able to periodically run your vehicle’s engine. Carbon monoxide poisoning can make a person sick or cause a person to die through both prolonged and shorter but intense periods of exposure. The early symptoms are nausea, headaches and dizziness.

5. 

   Use gas sparingly. The length of time you might be trapped in your vehicle depends upon a number of factors, such as the severity of the storm, where you’re located, the capabilities of emergency responders and how many others are stranded. It’s extremely important, therefore, to use your vehicle’s gas as little as possible. If help does not arrive and you are in a remote area, you may need gas to evacuate when the storm passes.
   • If you have a relatively full tank of gas, run the engine every hour for 10 minutes. While you’re doing this, crack one window to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
   • If you don’t have much gas, only run your engine 1-2 times per day for 10 minutes so your battery doesn’t die and your fuel line doesn’t freeze. Use the sun’s heat to your advantage in this instance and run your engine at night, which will also help warm you.

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