It's always worth being prepared in case of the worst, so you should carry certain essentials in your car in case of a breakdown.

During winter, breakdowns are more likely to occur. In fact, vehicles are 42 per cent more likely not to start in winter. Cold weather, of course, is the main reason why there is an increase in breakdowns at this time of year.

The latest infographic from startrescue.co.uk has plenty of tips for avoiding a car breakdown even when the weather outside is frightful. However, sometimes you can still encounter unforeseen problems or there may be something that you forget to check and you face a breakdown anyway.

In case of this happening, it is worth carrying a number of essential items in your car to make sure you have some of the things you need. These will help you brave the harsh climate if you find yourself stuck at the roadside and waiting for roadside assistance to arrive.

 

Blankets

When your car has broken down and you can't turn the fans on for warmth, you will notice how quickly it gets cold at this time of year.

For the sake of your own health, you need to stay warm even when you are stuck with your broken down car. Therefore, make sure you carry some blankets with you so that you and your passengers can keep warm while you wait for a recovery vehicle to arrive.

 

Torch

At this time of year, it gets dark a lot more quickly so you are much more likely to find your vehicle suffers a breakdown in the dark.

For this reason, it is worth keeping a torch in your car so that you can provide yourself with some light.

You may need to use this if you need to go in search of a phone to call for roadside assistance. If you go to put out a warning triangle then you may need the torch to see where you are going.

Alternatively, if you have a certain level of expertise about vehicles, you might decide to take a look at your car yourself and see if you can fix it. In which case, you will need your torch to look inside the bonnet, check for the fault and make sure you can see what you are doing.

Or, more simply, it is worth having a torch in the car to provide you and your passengers with some light while you wait at the roadside for a recovery vehicle to arrive.

 

First Aid Kit

While you are on the road, it may not be just your car that encounters problems. It is very important that you have a first aid kit on board your vehicle in case you or one of your passengers gets into difficulty.

For example, if you are in a road crash then a first aid kit can save a life. Less seriously, it can deal with cuts, scrapes and burns that you or your passenger might endure.

You can pick up a first aid kit from a number of retailers of car parts and motoring equipment. There are a number of items it is advised that you have in your first aid kit. For example, NHS choices has posted advice on the kinds of items that you should keep in your first aid kit.

Among the items that you are recommended to have with you are plasters, gauze dressings, bandages, safety pins and sticky tape. This is so that you can dress things like cuts and burns.

It is also important to be able to clean injuries, so it is worth having things like alcohol-free cleansing wipes, rash cream, spray for insect bites and stings, eye wash and distilled water.

Of course, be sure to carry painkillers and anti-histamine tablets so that you can quickly relieve pain or discomfort caused by allergic reactions.