Roadside emergencies happen, and when they do, being prepared is the best way to ensure the situation does not get worse. Preventing further injury and/or property damage should be a priority in any emergency situation. For this reason, you are required to keep certain equipment on your vehicle.
Before you hit the road, make sure you can complete this checklist:
- Fire Extinguisher(s). Although anyone transporting Hazardous Materials is required to have a fire extinguisher with a Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) rating of 10 B:C or more, those of us not transporting HazMat are only required to have either:
• One (1) fire extinguisher having a UL rating of 5 B:C or more; or
• Two (2) fire extinguishers having a UL rating of 4 B:C or more.
Fire extinguishers should be fully charged and securely mounted to avoid any movement relative to your vehicle. Its placement should be readily accessible in case of an emergency and should also permit visual determination of whether it is fully charged.
- Spare Fuses. If you are not in a vehicle with resettable fuses, make sure you have at least one spare fuse for each type/size of fuse needed for applicable parts and/or accessories.
- Warning Devices. Whenever it is necessary to stop upon the traveled portion of a highway or on the shoulder, you are required to set up warning devices immediately, within ten minutes of stopping. Acceptable warning devices include:
• Three (3) bidirectional emergency reflective triangles; or
• At least six (6) fuses or three (3) liquid burning flares.
Be thoroughly familiar with the proper placement of these devices for different roadways and/or nearby obstructions.
