- Video shows auto technician Nik Anderson's recommendations for what to have in your car in case of emergency this winter
- Snow is set to fall in the greater Green Bay area over the weekend and early next week
- One hardware store manager talks stock of snow blowers, shovels and ice melter
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
You may already know to keep a snow brush with you or to have a full tank of gas while driving in the winter. But, one auto technician says you could keep a few more things in your car in case of emergency.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s website, winter weather contributed to more than 15,000 crashes in Wisconsin in 2021.
I’m Pari Apostolakos reporting in Ashwaubenon, where one auto technician tells me what you can put in your car to stay safe in the winter.
"It's better to just be prepared, really," auto technician Nik Anderson said. "It doesn't hurt to have this stuff in your car, a lot of it's cheap and you know, you're going to wish you had it when you need it."
Anderson recommends having the usual emergency gear in your car, like a first aid kit, non-perishable food, and a flashlight. He says keeping your washer fluid and coolant at the right levels is important.
But, he says some other items can come in handy; like a portable, rechargeable jump pack.
"Power it on, it'll show you what life it's at. You just hook up negative to positive, then you get in your vehicle and start it up. And this nine times out of ten will get you going," he said.
If your car doesn't display your tire pressure on the dash, he says a tire gauge should be in your vehicle too.
But, that's not his only recommendation for getting out of a sticky, or snowy, situation.
"What you can keep is traction boards, actually," he said. "They're these boards that you put in the front of your tire so that when you're trying to get out you just slip them in the front of your tire and it'll help you get some traction to maybe at least get you out of the hump that you're stuck in."
Over in De Pere, one hardware store manager says some snow blowers have sold in the past few days, along with shovels and ice melt.
"Normally once the snow starts coming we'll start selling that, or when weather is coming is when we'll all of the sudden sell everything," Allen Hoopingarner said. "Not really much pre-sales, but once the news comes out with threat of weather, normally people are buying stuff."
More snow showers are forecasted for early next week.
