Some take-along items make your trip more pleasant, such as favorite CDs to listen to or snacks to tide you over until the next rest stop. Others help keep you and your passengers safer. While you don’t want to ever overload your vehicle, you will want to make room for basic safety equipment.

Child Safety Seats

If you’ll be traveling with children, you’ll need to make room in your back seat for appropriate child safety and/or booster seats. Click on the NHTSA 4 Steps for Kids guidelines to find out what safety seat is right for your child. To learn more and find a free inspection site near you, check out NHTSA’s Child Passenger Safety Web page.

Emergency Roadside Kit

Even a well-maintained vehicle can break down, so it’s advisable to put together an Emergency Roadside Kit to carry with you. A cell phone tops the list of suggested emergency kit contents since it allows you to call for help when and where you need it. Suggested Emergency Roadside Kit contents:

• Cell phone
• First aid kit
• Flashlight
• Flares and a white flag
• Jumper cables
• Jack (and ground mat) for changing a tire
• Work gloves and a change of clothes
• Basic repair tools and some duct tape (for temporarily repairing a hose leak!)
• A jug of water and paper towels for cleaning up
• Nonperishable food, drinking water, and medicines
• Extra windshield washer fluid
• Maps