Build the car kit before the drive

The drive you already take is the one to pack for. School, practice, the grocery store. Help is a phone call away. This car first aid kit checklist is what you can finish tonight, while everyone is fine.

What the trunk kit is for

It is not a hospital. It is a short list you can find in the dark, with cold hands, while someone else calls 911.

A stock kit gets you gauze and bandages. A family kit also covers a child, a bad bleed, and a blocked airway. Two grades on this site are signed. The packing you can do anyway.

Bleeding, airway, burns

Work in that order when you open the bag. The pockets should match it, so you are not digging past adhesive bandages to reach a tourniquet.

Bleeding

Call 911. Direct pressure for most bleeding. For life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg, a windlass tourniquet goes on right away. Get a genuine, CoTCCC-listed one from North American Rescue or an authorized dealer, because fakes are common and can fail. Buy the same one you trained on. If you have not trained, take a stop-the-bleed class soon.

Airway

Choking is a hands skill. Take a class. Back blows and thrusts come first. Then call 911.

Burns

Cool running water for at least 10 minutes when you have it, then a clean cover. Call 911 for a big burn or a burn on a little one. Leave the home remedies in the house.

Pack this before the next drive

Print this and put the paper in the trunk. Check it off with a pen. The checklist page is the longer version for the house, the diaper bag, and the sideline.

Car kit checklist

• Genuine CoTCCC-listed windlass tourniquet, from North American Rescue or an authorized dealer
• Pressure bandage and a stack of gauze
• Two pairs of nitrile gloves
• Elastic bandage and a triangle bandage
• Clean nonstick pads for a burn
• Instant cold pack (with a cloth between it and the skin, 20 minutes max)
• Shears that cut clothing
• Small flashlight that does not live in a drawer
• Permanent marker and a card for allergies and emergency contacts
• A copy of this list, where you can see it

Print or save PDF

One kit that can start the trunk

The MyMedic MyFAK is a real bag with labeled pockets. Bought and on my bench. A stock bag still needs a plan for the kids. Pair it with a genuine tourniquet and the list above.

Walk it every six months

Open the bag. Check dates. Replace what you used. The tracker holds the dates if you want them off a sticky note.

You do not need a new personality. You need a kit you can reach.