BreakAwayAdventure - Using your car as a survival tool

Your Car Could Help You Survive
For our third survival tip, let's talk about your car. People become stranded in them in all kinds of environments
and we could write extensively about them all. We're going to focus on a hypothetical scenario in which you and
your family have driven off the road in a winter storm for this installment, though.

As our previous tip made clear, don't panic. First assess injuries and treat them. Next, lay out your plan which
hinges on some questions. Does anybody have your travel plans? Are you expected at a destination by a certain
time and will somebody worry accordingly if you do not show up? Do you have a cell phone and is it getting a
reception? If so, call somebody right away, give them an idea of where you crashed and then assume help won't
be coming anyway. You have to get away from the new world mentality that we are helpless and it is somebody
else's responsibility to save us. Take care of yourself and hope for the best.

Before we go any further, immediately start rationing your food. Nobody eats on day one. We'll come
back to this later.

Realize what a resource you have in your car. It takes care of one of your primary considerations right away;
shelter. If you went off the road in a wooded area, add pine boughs to the car interior for additional insulation.
Stuff it until there's just enough room for your family to rest comfortably. All that empty space is a waste of heat.
Building an extension shelter off one side of the car (allowing the door to still open and close) as a type of foyer
would be a good idea so you can sit by the fire outside, but avoid covering the roof of the car so it can be seen
from the air.

Remove the lining from the trunk and use it as a blanket. Run the car as little as possible - 10 minutes at a time
max - for additional warmth but remember that the gas in your car is finite. Between each exterior action, warm
up inside the car by huddling with your family members and running the car for 10 minutes but only until you've
managed to take care of the next step and remember to keep the tailpipe clear of snow!!!

Now get a fire going. We'll cover starting a fire in the wilderness in other installments, but remember that your
car's cigarette lighter, a gas soaked rag or sparks from the car's battery can all aid in starting a fire. Once the
fire is going, keep it going. Gather plenty of fuel and store it in the foyer you built outside your car. Have a
family member also gather as many stones (about grapefruit size if possible) as they can. Set a bunch of stones
close to the fire and, once warm, transfer them into the car and get another batch warming. Keep rotating
cooled stones into the fire and heated stones into the car. The stones will help in warming up the car and reduce
the amount of time and frequency you need to keep the car running.

Now scavenge the car. Your life is on the line so don't hesitate to do whatever damage you need to do in order
to survive. If you have bowl-shaped headlamps and some tools handy, remove the headlamp glass. Use this to
melt snow by (not in) the fire for drinking water. Consuming pure snow will hydrate you but it will also cool you
so best to melt it if possible as we've suggested. You most likely have soda cans or plastic bottles in your car
since you were traveling with the family. Transfer the heated water to these and keep them in the car (releasing
their heat) until the water is cool enough to drink (but still warm enough to aid in keeping your core temperature
up). With shelter and water out of the way, your two most critical survival concerns are taken care of.

As stated at the beginning, any food you have in the car should be immediately rationed. This really is the least
of your concerns the first day as you can survive a very long time (would you believe weeks?) without food.
Give it out sparingly and dream of the steaks you'll all enjoy when you are rescued. Assume a week without
rescue and ration accordingly.

You've now planned for water, warmth, shelter and food. The last thing to plan for is rescue. Don't hope for it.
Don't sit there doing nothing and assume somebody will just stumble across you. You must plan. Three things
immediately come to mind to assist you in rescue - mirrors, rubber and horn. Remove the interior mirror and
keep it handy. You can use it to signal passing aircraft. Your horn should be used ONLY if you hear rescuers
calling out in the area and should be used in an SOS pattern… 3 short bursts, 3 long bursts, 3 short bursts.
Don't run down your battery needlessly trying to audibly signal a passing plane or helicopter. They can't hear
you. As you have a fire going for warmth, you're already half-way to signaling for rescue. You should prepare a
signal fire a short distance from your shelter but not light it. Have everything ready to go and in place so that all
you need to do to light the signal fire is transfer a burning stick from your main fire to it. When you feel there are
rescuers nearby or flying overhead, light the signal fire and toss your deflated spare tire onto it. This will
produce thick, black smoke - A clear indicator that there is somebody in need of rescue. Burning oil (lit well
away from your primary fire and your car) can also attract attention.

The important thing is that you plan for survival and rescue rather than hoping for either. Be creative! There are
plenty things we haven't even touched on in your vehicle that could all be used to make it through. If you know
how to build snares, your car is full of wires that can be used to make them to catch rabbits. Headlamps
removed from their housings and directed at low flying planes at night (flashing SOS) can help. Sit on floor mats
under your shelter by the fire rather than sitting on bare ground or snow. Stuff clothes with insulation from the
seats. You get the point. Just plan, act and only then, hope. God willing you will never find yourself in need of
this knowledge but better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Stay safe!