11 Must-Have First Aid Items To Keep In Your Car

According to the National Security Council, the number of people seriously injured in automobile accidents in 2020 was approximately 4.8 million.

That’s a lot of accidents. And for sure, you wouldn’t want to be involved in a car accident, but you must be ready for it.

One of the most excellent ways to be ready for emergencies is to have a first aid kit that is stocked and ready for use. You’ll never know when accidents may happen, so you must prepare for such circumstances.

There are a lot of first aid kits that you can buy from drug stores or even from supermarkets. But these basic first aid kits may not contain the ones you need to put in your car. Hence, you may need to assemble it yourself after knowing the requirement through sia first aid course.

Keep reading for more details on what should be in your car’s first aid kit.

First Aid Kit Items For Your Car: What Should You Include?

1. Bandages

Bandages are essential. It can help seal open wounds, scrapes, minor cuts, and blisters. Take note that there are two different bandages: adhesive and elastic.

Adhesive bandages are ideal for keeping the skin together with open wounds to make healing faster. It also helps protect the open wound from dirt, bacteria, friction, and further damage. Thus, the healing process of the body is less disturbed. If you ever get chest wounds from an accident, you can use a type of adhesive bandage called chest seals. For more info on where you can buy these products, you can surf the internet for options.

Elastic bandages, on the other hand, helps put pressure on body injuries. It also helps ease pain and alleviate swelling. Moreover, it also provides support to a body’s injured area. You may need a brace or splint to go with the elastic bandage for severe injuries.

2. Antibiotic Cream

Vehicular accidents are sometimes associated with fire, so having an antibiotic cream in your kit is necessary. If there are minor cuts, burns, scratches, and scrapes, apply antibiotic cream after cleaning and drying them to prevent infections.

For minor injuries, there are single-use packets that provide the right amount of cream to cover a wound. More than protecting against bacteria, the cream promotes quick healing.

3. Antiseptic Wipes

During an accident, sources of water and soap on site are very scarce. Antiseptic wipes can serve as water and soap to clean wounds or scrapes. It instantly kills germs and bacteria without using soap or water.

Adding antiseptic wipes to your first aid kit will help you sanitize wounds and the surrounding skin appropriately and clean your hands before treating your or others’ injuries.

4. Saline Solution

Since saline solution does not burn or irritate wounds, it is a better option if water and soap are not available. By irrigating or flushing out debris and dried blood, saline can help clean deep wounds.

You can also have a saline solution specific for the eye to flush out any foreign body in the eye caused by a vehicular accident.

5. Medical-Grade Disposable Gloves

When treating wounds, hygiene is essential. So in first aid situations where there is no soap and water to wash your hands, you can use medical-grade disposable gloves.

Wearing gloves doesn’t just protect you from blood and HIV, but all body fluids and infections. The protection applies to the person receiving first aid and the person with a wound or injury.

You have to consider that the first responders offering first aid kit treatment are strangers who are near you and not necessarily healthcare workers.

6. CPR Barrier Device

It is no longer ideal nor suggested to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation directly due to contamination risks. Thanks to a CPR barrier device, you can help save a person’s life with much more ease.

CPR barrier devices aid in preventing harmful contamination of bodily fluids by things like saliva and bloodborne infections while giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

7. Medical Tape and Sterile Gauze Pads

Car accidents usually create severe injuries and wounds to the body. So having a medical tape and sterilized medical gauze should always be part of a first-aid kit to prevent bacteria from entering an open wound.

For wounds that are too large for an adhesive bandage, using gauze pads or lengths of gauze is ideal to stop the bleeding. The medical tape helps keep the gauze in place, so they should always go together.

8. Surgical Steel Needle-Nose Tweezers

Surgical steel needle-nose tweezers are an excellent addition to first-aid kits due to their slim point. They support precision and are solid and manageable.

Tweezers are handy for cleaning wounds with foreign objects like dirt, splinters, and glass.

9. Cold Packs

An instant cold pack in your first aid kit can also be handy. It can offer prompt relief for minor vehicular injuries such as swelling, bruising, muscular spasms, soreness, and even headaches. Cold packs are incredibly efficient and simple first aid equipment.

10. Scissors

Scissors may not seem much, but it is a handy tool in your first aid kit. It doesn’t need to be medical grade, but it has to be clean. However, investing in a pair of small, curved medical scissors is worthwhile because they are safer and easier to use than craft scissors due to their blunt edges.

A scissor can help you quickly cut the medical tape and sterile gauze pads. Scissors are also handy in cutting clothes swiftly to access and treat a wound.

11. First Aid Bag/ Box

Of course, with all these essentials you need, you must put them in one container so you won’t have a hard time locating them. Make sure you put these first aid kit essentials in a container where the stuff is safe and secure.

If possible, the first aid bag or box should be easy to see so you can easily find it when you need it most.

Take Away

First-aid kits are lifesavers. So you better ensure you get the right essentials and that it is ready and stocked in your car for emergencies. Also, checking your stocks from time to time is vital to check for expiration and replace them if necessary.

It may not be something you hope to use, but it’s something you’ll be glad you have, especially when you need it the most.