The holidays mean gift-giving for most people in the United States, and that means you have an opportunity to help everyone in your family have a safer winter on the road. Investing in gifts that help complete a road safety kit not only provides drivers in the family with key resources, it also provides you with a chance to teach younger drivers key DIY practices that make it easier to deal with setbacks on the road.
The Importance of Vehicle Preparedness
Jump starters are very useful in winter driving conditions when the cold can sap electric resources. Between the fact that cold weather is already hard on a battery and the extra power drawn by running accessories like your heater, old batteries often wind up needing a jump. Having something like a Duralast DL-800 manual jump starter on hand means you and your family will not need to find another car to get back on the road.
Winter is hardly the only time that a starter like this is useful. Many jump starter designs come with additional tools and features that can make them a must-have addition for warm-weather activities like camping. They also make the jump starter a general-use tool for your emergency kit that you can rely on for more than just a battery boost.
USB charging and inverter ports to power your personal devices can keep you going on long road trips, campouts or even just long work days when you travel between sites. Area lighting and emergency beacons for roadside assistance and visibility ensure that any driver in your household can easily light up the area if they have to pull over after dark for any reason. Those lights also provide stable visibility for operations like quick tire changes. That makes a car jump starter an important part of a balanced road safety kit for any driver.
Promoting Responsible Driving Habits
Building a complete emergency kit is just one part of teaching responsible driving habits when you need to model them for a new driver. You also need to provide hands-on training and education that makes those tools easy to use when the time comes. Learning how to use a jump box properly is just as important to a driver’s safety as investing in one that has spark-proof connectors.
Building responsible habits does not stop at the tool kit, either. While every driver should know how to put on a spare tire if the need arises, they also need to know how to regulate their approach with traffic and how to safely navigate situations where other drivers are being unsafe. That means some hands-on time behind the wheel, but it also means more experienced drivers in the family need to show the habits they want to see everyone else developing. Role modeling is one of the most important steps to building responsible habits.
Additional Gifts for Your Family’s Road Kit
Jump starters with features that make them useful in a variety of situations are always a good investment, but your young drivers probably need a range of tools and safety resources. Consider adding in must-have items like a portable socket set or a 12v air compressor that can be used with either the car’s accessory port or a new jump starter.