People are often prone to lose their lives in a car accident. Why? Because more often than not, there’s no first-aid kit to rescue them.
To prepare yourself for the unexpected, you need a first-aid kit in your vehicle all the time. The kit in your home will not serve you in your vehicle when you are away from home. According to Merriam Webster, a first-aid kit contains items for giving emergency treatment to a sick or injured person which can be found in a vehicle. To get one, seek medical advice on the appropriate items suitable for a vehicle, to avoid the irrelevant ones.
Accidents are common and unpremeditated situations that you may find yourself in while travelling. Not all cars come with a kit when they are bought, that’s why it’s important to get one.
Reasons to have a first-aid kit in your car
To prepare you for the unseen
No one plans for emergencies like accidents, injuries, or sudden sicknesses to occur while driving. The more reason you should have a first-aid kit in your vehicle. Who knows? You could be planning in advance to save your life or that of an accident victim you may come across.
Quick response to emergencies
Having a kit helps with a swift response to emergencies as they occur. It could be to stop bleeding, to massage a swollen part of the body, or to apply Band-Aid. This will help you keep the situation in check for a while before medical help comes. A quick response by applying first aid could also be helping with reduction in casualties and avoid death; hopefully.
For Relieve from discomfort
Occurrences like muscle pulls may occur while driving, and it is often not a good idea to endure or let it slide. From your kit you could get a balm or any other suitable item to help relieve pain and discomfort. Waiting might be late.
To prevent Infection
Applying antibiotics to injuries sustained on the body in order to prevent Infection is one good reason to always have a first-aid kit in your vehicle. You don’t want to worsen things by leaving your wounds unattended to.
To prevent death
Research has it that about 3,287 car accident deaths happen in a day. Another one says that nearly 1.3 million people die each year.
There’s very little pitying someone who is involved in a car accident would do to help. If there’s a first-aid kit around there’s a chance, no matter how slim it may appear, that the victim could be rescued from death A first aid kit will help them hang in there till proper medical help comes.
Essential or basic items in first-aid kit that should be found in your car.
Below are the items you can find in a first-aid box, according to the Very Well Mind Family article which was medically reviewed by Michael Menna, DO, a board-certified, active attending emergency medicine physician at White Plains Hospital in New York.
- Adhesive Bandages for small cuts or blisters. It is also called Band-Aids
- Antibiotic ointment to apply on wound before covering it
- Disposable gloves for protecting the person administering first-aid
- Instant cold packs to help with slowing down the flow of blood in the case of swelling to decrease it and bruising after a sprain
- Tweezers
- Scissors with blunt edges to trim Band-Aids, to cut gauze pads, and medical tape
- Sterilized Medical gauze pads to protect an open wound from bacteria
- A non-glass oral thermometer for checking if a child has fever
- Tooth preservation kit
- Another is Methylated spirit for cleaning wounds.
- Cotton wool : The spirit is applied on it to clean the wound
You can always seek medical advice when buying your first-aid items. Also ensure that the items are not expired and will not be expiring soon.
Likely problems to encounter while driving a car
- Sudden sickness
- A sprain in the muscle – muscle pull
- Body pain
- Head-on collision with another vehicle that could injure both the drivers and their passengers
In conclusion, research has it that there are over one billion cars in the world today. And you can imagine how many cars you have to face just on your way to work or the mall, or anywhere else to plan to be.
Accidents are inevitable, but the outcome can be managed way before medical care comes for victims. So, having a first-aid kit is a form of assurance for your well-being, in case you are involved in an accident. And also, you could be a good citizen by helping out with your first-aid kit when someone else is in trouble, which could lead to death or other complications.
