A useful car emergency kit has two jobs. It should help you stay safe while you wait for assistance, and it should make it easier to record the basic information a crash claim may depend on later. The best kit is simple enough to remain in the vehicle and practical enough that you will actually use it.
What to keep in the vehicle
NHTSA’s roadside-kit guidance recommends a charged phone and charger, first-aid supplies, a flashlight, warning devices, jumper cables, a tire-pressure gauge, tools, water, food, medicine and weather-appropriate clothing or blankets. Louisiana drivers should adapt that list for heat, heavy rain and long stretches between safe stopping places.
A practical year-round kit can include:
- a phone charging cable and charged battery pack;
- a first-aid kit and any essential personal medicine;
- a bright flashlight with spare batteries;
- reflective triangles or road flares used according to their instructions;
- work gloves, a rain poncho and a light reflective vest;
- drinking water and nonperishable food;
- jumper cables or a portable jump starter;
- a tire-pressure gauge, properly sized jack and lug wrench;
- a paper map for areas with weak cellular service; and
- a marker, small notebook and envelope for exchange information and receipts.
Check the kit twice a year. Replace expired food, medicine and batteries. Confirm that the spare tire is inflated and that the jack and lug wrench fit the vehicle. An emergency kit is not useful if it is buried under cargo or the flashlight no longer works.
Add a small crash-information folder
Keep a current insurance card and vehicle registration where they can be reached without searching through loose papers. A one-page information sheet can list emergency contacts, allergies and medications, but avoid leaving sensitive medical or financial records in an unattended vehicle.
The folder can also contain a short reminder of what to record:
- driver names, phone numbers, license details and insurance information;
- vehicle plates, makes, models and visible damage;
- witness names and contact information;
- the investigating agency and report number;
- the towing company and storage location; and
- the location of nearby businesses, homes or traffic cameras.
A phone can store most of this, but paper helps when the battery is low, the screen is damaged or the weather makes the phone difficult to use.
Safety comes before photographs
After a collision, stop and assess immediate danger. Call 911 for injuries, fire, leaking fuel, blocked traffic or any situation requiring emergency help. Follow instructions from law enforcement and emergency personnel. Do not stand in an active lane to photograph damage.
If it is safe to do so, turn on hazard lights, move to a protected area when directed and use warning devices far enough from the vehicle to alert approaching traffic. Do not attempt a roadside repair when traffic, weather, vehicle position or your physical condition makes it unsafe.
What to photograph when conditions allow
Start wide before moving close. The goal is to preserve the scene, not just make a close-up record of dents.
- all vehicles from several angles;
- the final resting positions before vehicles are moved, if safe;
- lane markings, traffic signals, signs and sight obstructions;
- debris, fluid trails, skid or tire marks and roadway defects;
- the surrounding intersection or highway approach;
- visible injuries, damaged personal property and deployed airbags; and
- the other driver’s insurance card and license, with permission or as exchanged.
Take a short video walking the safe perimeter of the scene and describe the direction each vehicle was traveling. Do not narrate blame or speculate about speed. Record what is visible.
Get the report number, but do not wait for the report
Write down the officer’s agency, name or badge number when available, and the report or incident number. Our guide on obtaining a Louisiana crash report explains where to request the report and how to check it for missing supplements or errors.
The report may take time to become available. Meanwhile, nearby video can be overwritten and witnesses can become harder to locate. Back up phone photographs, save the original files and write down camera locations while the scene is fresh. In a severe collision, the broader Louisiana serious-crash investigation guide explains why vehicle condition, electronic data and third-party records may need prompt preservation.
Document symptoms without diagnosing yourself
Tell emergency personnel and medical providers what you feel, when it started and whether it is changing. Headache, confusion, weakness, numbness, breathing difficulty, severe pain or loss of consciousness can require urgent evaluation. Follow discharge instructions and seek additional care if symptoms worsen.
Keep the emergency-room or urgent-care paperwork, prescriptions and appointment confirmations together. A brief dated symptom note can help you give providers an accurate history. It should describe facts, such as sleep interruption or difficulty lifting, not guess at a medical diagnosis.
Keep property and injury records separate
Property-damage handling often moves faster than medical treatment. Save towing, storage, repair, rental and total-loss documents in one folder. Keep medical records, bills, work restrictions and wage-loss documents in another. That separation reduces the chance that a fast vehicle settlement is confused with the unresolved injury claim.
Before a vehicle is repaired, sold or salvaged, ask whether photographs, an inspection or electronic data need to be preserved. This can matter when fault is disputed or when a tire, brake, steering component or safety system may be part of the investigation.
Two Louisiana timing rules to calendar
Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1 generally gives two years for delictual actions, beginning on the day injury or damage is sustained. The provision took effect July 1, 2024, so older crashes and unusual claims may require different deadline analysis.
For claims governed by the current version of Civil Code article 2323, an injured person found 51 percent or more at fault cannot recover damages. Fault below 51 percent reduces damages proportionally. The amended comparative-fault rule took effect January 1, 2026.
Those deadlines are not a reason to wait. Video, physical evidence and reliable recollection can disappear in days or weeks.
When the kit becomes a claim file
A serious injury, disputed fault, commercial vehicle, government vehicle or threatened loss of the vehicle usually requires more than an exchange card and photographs. The firm’s Baton Rouge car accident page explains how scene proof, treatment, coverage and loss records are evaluated together.
The point of the kit is not to turn a driver into an investigator. It is to keep basic safety supplies available and preserve the details that are easiest to lose under stress.
Editorial & Legal Accuracy Notice (Louisiana)
This article provides general safety and legal information, not medical or legal advice. Follow emergency personnel and qualified medical providers after a crash.