Winter advisory: How to stay safe while trapped in your car
Dr. Grant Lipman
Grant S. Lipman, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of surgery in the division of emergency medicine at Stanford University and associate director of the wilderness medicine fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Every winter we hear storm warnings and terrifying details of people stuck in their cars overnight. But how many of us are truly prepared for being snowed-in on highways and trapped in severe weather?
If you do become stranded in your car, preparing for winter conditions and knowing what to do during the unexpected is key to staying safe. From having the right gear for a winter drive, to knowing when to stay or to go seek help, gauging your risks could help keep you alive.
Will you know what to do if you are trapped in your car during a winter storm? Here are some best practices to stay safe in your car if stranded in the cold and waiting for help to arrive.
Cold weather exposure increases risk of hypothermia
While the exact number of people getting stuck in cars each winter is unknown, we do know that people can die from hypothermia when trapped in their cars in severe weather. In fact, 1,500 annual deaths in the US are due to hypothermia.
Winter storms are usually accompanied by high winds, which make you lose heat quickly through evaporative cooling, where the increased wind quickly draws heat from your body and drives down your body’s core temperature.
Exposure to the wind chill factor can make it feel much colder than what’s listed as the exact temperature, which can also increase the risk of catching hypothermia and frostbite.
Safety tips if you’re snowed in your car
- Stay in your car. While it may get cold in your car, it is always colder outside. Walking in a snowstorm is a quick way to get lost and cold from the elements. When you’re soaked, the wet clothes will take heat away from your body much faster (because water is denser than air), cooling your body 25 times faster than if you’re dry.
- Save battery power. Turn off all lights, including blinking hazards, as having lights on will drain your battery faster. Cold temperatures can also drain your car battery by 30-60%. To maintain power, you should turn your car on for ten minutes every hour to run the heater and keep the battery warm. While every ten minutes runtime is not enough to charge the battery, it will help save gas and electricity for when you need it.
- Clear your car’s tailpipe of snow. Clogged tailpipes can backup exhaust into the car and potentially cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that results from the combustion of fuel. This molecule binds 200-250 times more tightly than oxygen to the protein hemoglobin, which usually carries oxygen around the body in red blood cells. As a result, oxygen is displaced by breathing in high levels of carbon monoxide and can suffocate the body by robbing the vital organs (like the brain and heart) from receiving oxygen. Occasionally crack a window when running the engine to ensure your car is ventilated.
- Make your car visible. If it is not snowing, raise the hood of your car to signal you are in trouble and need help. Avoid leaving the hood of your car up in wet or snowy weather, as the moisture can damage electrical components and circuits or even cause engine damage if moisture enters the air intake. If you have brightly colored clothing or fabric, tie it on the top of your car to increase visibility.
- Save your phone’s battery. Put your phone on airplane mode to disable cellular, Wi-Fi, bluetooth and GPS, which are all functions that can drain your battery. Close apps that drain battery and stay off your browser.
Equip your car with winter emergency essentials
Knowing the tips above, you can be prepared by making sure your car is equipped with these emergency essentials:
- Food & water: Snacks high in calories and fat will keep you warmer than low fat or protein snacks
- Insulation: A winter parka, sleeping bag, mittens, warm hat
- Gear: Wipes, snow shovel, first aid kit, lighting (flashlight or headlamp), ice scraper, jumper cables, extra phone battery, proper winter tires and/or chains
- Full tank of gas
The danger of going for help
Every winter the news has tragic stories about stranded people who leave their cars to search for help. Being outside the car in the cold means you have no protection from the wet and wind, which will cause you to get colder faster than if you were dry inside the car.
As your body temperature continues to drop, your brain’s functioning decreases as well, causing your cognitive ability and mental state to change.
Early signs of hypothermia include: irritability, lethargy, stumbling gait, or poor coordination. Even with the best intentions, the risk of hypothermia can lead you to make bad decisions or injury while seeking help in the cold. Worsening hypothermia leads to confusion and altered mental status, followed by sleepiness, and eventual unconsciousness.
If you’re ever stranded in a snowstorm, remember, you are more visible to emergency services in your car than lost on foot. Staying in place can prevent an already dangerous cold situation from getting worse.
You don’t have to be on an adventure for the hazardous conditions of the outdoors to come to you. No one expects to be trapped in their car or in danger of hypothermia on their way home from work. Download the GOES app to be prepared for anything.
