Well, that's one opinion

[yendi]

We've all heard the news stories about families getting trapped and eventually rescued, while the father who went to get help winds up dead from exposure.
-- From this article.

Sure. But we've also all read Stephen King's classic short story "One For the Road," in which a man leaves his family behind in the car, finds help, and comes back to discover that his family's been killed and turned into vampires.

So really, which should you be watching out for? Freezing cold, or vampires? The writers at the Boston Globe completely fail to address this.

Comments

[e-scapism101.livejournal.com]

Obviously all car emergency kits should be equipped with a Douay Bible and a religious medallion for just such an emergency. Also, you shouldn't be wearing those thin gloves in this kind of weather anyway. Also, since he was following the directions someone had given him (in those long-ago pre-mapquest and GPS days), did you ever wonder if someone was trying to get rid of that family?

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

Too bad you can't get warmth from vampires.

[phantom_wolfboy]

I dunno . . . I understand they burn quite nicely.

[sterling-raptor.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to say both...I mean at the northern climes, nights get really long in the cold cold winters, so always carry a stake and an emergency blanket in your car. Yep.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

And if needed, you can always burn the stake.

[rosefox]

Or the vampire.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Freezing cold. After all, if his family has been turned into vampires, what's so bad there? They'll just turn him and live in sun-avoiding happiness together.

(On a side note: NOT KIDDING ABOUT THIS: Stick with your car. I was working at IDG in SF when one of our counterparts at CNET, James Kim, made the news because he went to get help after getting stranded and his family got rescued while he died.)

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

I dunno about sticking with the car...I've heard at least two stories in the past few years of people who stayed in the car and either got dumped on/plowed in and died from CO2 poisoning (tailpipe got covered up) or exposure.

I think it's all going to depend on where you are (busy-ness of highway), how bad the snow is, and how far you'd need to travel for help.

Rule #1: keep your cell phone charged and your car maintained. Blankets, kitty litter (to get you out of icy spots), flashlights, and flares are always handy, too.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Well, you definitely want to make sure the tail pile is clear and that you aren't running the car while you sleep. That's not inherent to staying with the car though.

But even on the non-busy highways, like James Kim and his family were on, your chances of being found increase by staying with the car. It's more easily seen from rescue copters.

Precautions: On road trips, tell folks when you are expected and which route you are taking. Msg or call if you need to take an alternate route. Make sure your car is stocked with water and a first aid kit and possibly a 72 hour kit that has thermal blankets.

I'd forgotten about this because it was situationally much warmer, but it's also applicable. My dad was lost with my grandpa in the Utah desert after their car broke down (no worries about tailpipe there, but definitely water was an issue) and went off to fetch help after no cars passed them on the road they were on. He passed out (going the wrong way, which he didn't realise because by then he was hallucinating) and it was by sheer luck that somebody found him. My mom had called the sheriff's office by that time, but they had deviated from the course, and while they would have found Grandpa quicker due to his being with the car, it's doubtful they would have found Dad in time if not for sheer luck. Now Dad doesn't change his planned course when he goes out into the desert and he makes sure somebody knows his route and ETA.

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

*nods* Sage advice. I guess I take the whole "someone knows your route and ETA" for granted because my mother and my husband are total worry-warts. :)

I'm glad that your dad and grandpa are ok!

[yendi]

Eep -- yeah, I remember that story. It was heartbreaking.

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

There's absolutely no reason why you can't prepare for both.