Road guide
Stranded in the car overnight.
Snow on a mountain road, a breakdown on an empty highway, a closure that will not clear: how to get through the night.
One page. Read it here, save the image to your phone, or print it for the fridge.
Most long waits in a car end with a tow truck or a plow, not a rescue. The car is shelter, a heater and the easiest thing for help to find, as long as the exhaust has somewhere to go. These are the twelve things that keep a long night boring.
- 1
Stay with the car
- A car is easier to find than a person on foot
- Walking in blowing snow disorients people fast
- Snow, ice or no visibility: staying put is safer
- 2
Off the lanes, belt on
- Right shoulder, as far from traffic as you can
- Seat belt on inside until help arrives
- California breakdown: dial 511; hurt: 911
- 3
Be easy to see
- Bright cloth, red if you have it, on the antenna
- Dome light on at night while the engine runs
- Raise the hood once the snow stops
- 4
Clear the tailpipe first
- Snow or mud on the pipe sends exhaust inside
- Check it every time before you restart
- Carbon monoxide has no smell or color
- 5
Engine 10 minutes an hour
- About 10 minutes each hour for heat
- Crack a window a little while it runs
- Never idle long with every window shut
- 6
Stay warm
- Move blankets and coats from the trunk inside
- Wrap everything, head included
- Huddle together if you are not alone
- 7
Stay awake, keep moving
- Cold does more harm while you sleep
- Move arms, legs, fingers and toes often
- Do not wear yourself out digging
- 8
Stay cool
- Drink plenty of water, a little at a time
- Cold, wet cloths on the head, neck and armpits
- Confused, or hot dry skin: call 911
- 9
Water and food
- Water and snacks belong in every car kit
- Do not eat snow; it lowers body heat
- Bring extra on desert and mountain drives
- 10
Save the phone
- Text first; texts get through when calls fail
- Keep calls short, then low-power mode
- Charge only while the engine is running
- 11
Tell someone
- Where you are, the car, and who is with you
- Set a check-in time to save battery
- Before any trip: route and arrival time
- 12
When to leave the car
- Rising or moving water: go high, call 911
- No safe shoulder: get out and move away
- On tracks: run away at an angle, toward the train
Stay with the car, keep the tailpipe clear, and make yourself easy to find.
Get the free 72-Hour Readiness Plan
More guides
Home guide
A week without power.
How a normal household eats, stays clean, keeps cool or warm, and sleeps when the grid is gone for days.
Open the guide
Kit guide
The 72-hour family kit, item by item.
Everything a household needs for three days with no help, and nothing it does not.
Open the guide
Gear Lab guide
Backup power, ranked by what actually works.
Twelve ways to keep phones, lights and a fridge going, from best to barely.
Open the guide