A mentor once told me: 鈥淵ou have the best luck when you鈥檙e best prepared.鈥 That kind of thinking makes a strong case for a roadside emergency kit that stays onboard your vehicle at all times.
Beware of such kits that hold nothing more than a few Band-Aids and a bottle of water. The best ones will include a mini air compressor, jumper cables (or a self-powered jumper pack), some heavy-duty work gloves, and a flashlight. Here's . Zip-ties are a nice component as well. More discreet and durable than ever-popular duct tape, those little plastic cables can make quick work of adjusting 鈥渟lightly askew鈥 parts that could otherwise cut your road trip short.