The more riding experience you gain, the more you learn that the unexpected can happen, and at the worse possible moment! Whether a perfectly good riding trip will turn into a nightmare, can simply be the difference between having an onboard safety kit or not. It is definitely best to be prepared in case of an emergency or vehicle breakdown.
When considering an onboard ATV safety kit for your vehicle, consider that it is better to be prepared and not have an emergency occur, then to be unprepared and have one take place. If you are stuck out on the trail and have to wait for help to arrive, an onboard safety kit can be a real lifesaver. Here are a few suggested items to include with your onboard ATV safety kit.
One of the first items to consider is emergency food. The items can be as simple as a few whole grain bars, maybe some chocolate or trail mix. These contain enough nutrition and sugar to keep your strength up, if need be. They will also store well if kept in sealed-waterproof bags.
Another important item to contain in your safety kit is water. You will want to include at least 8oz of water. You cannot be certain that where you are riding there will be drinkable water available. You won't be able to rely on brooks and streams, as they can make someone very sick because of the bacteria they may contain in them.
If you have to spend some time in the woods during the night, a blanket can come in real handy. There are packaged, lightweight blankets available that can keep a person warm, well below freezing temperatures. They are compact and take up little room in the kit also.
A flashlight is a good item to have on hand so you can make your way through the dark, or signal for help when rescuers arrive to the area. There are flashlights now made available for kits that need no batteries and take up very little storage space.
In the event of a vehicle breakdown, it is a good idea to have a multi-purpose tool kit on board. These kits come with all the basic tools that you could use to get your vehicle up and running. They are compact, contain multi-purpose tools and could be just what you need, if you are stranded out in the middle of nowhere.
It can become a real problem signaling your location to emergency workers, and this is where a whistle would be really helpful. The human voice can easily get filtered through the trees and underbrush in the wild, but a whistle can carry for a much greater distance.
Trying to signal to those attempting to assist you from the air during the day can be a real challenge, but a mirror is a simple yet effective device for doing this effectively. They take up almost no space in the kit as well.
Many times an emergency can involve some kind of injury, and this is where a basic first aid kit comes into play. There are pre-packaged first-aid kits available, which are compact, inexpensive and contain all you need to treat most basic injuries.
Including an onboard ATV safety kit as part of standard gear can help you and your riders respond to many types of emergencies that can occur, while riding in the wilderness. Once you have a kit onboard, you can install it and forget about it, until you need it.
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