This post brought to you by guest blogger Thomas James

Owning a car means much more than just pumping gas and driving around, your father surely told you something like that at one point. He was right, be aware that you have certain responsibilities. Not just in form of a legal matter, you have to be considerate as a driver, patient and prepared for every situation. Even if you are short-tempered, at least we can help you with this last bit and remind you of some necessary gear that you should have in your car at all times.

Here is a list of 10 things every guy should definitely have in his car:

Flashlight -You probably already have a flashlight in your car, but if you don’t, then get one as soon as possible. Some parts under the hood are simply not identifiable without some help, and let’s not even talk how important it is to have it on your side if you find yourself in a collision in the middle of the night.

Jumper cables – Or life-saving cables. No matter how much experience you have as a driver everybody forgets to switch off the lights from time to time or leave the radio on. Counting on other drivers to help you can be a problem enough, finding a driver that will when nobody has the cables can be really frustrating.

First-aid kit – Of course, this is mandatory, but do check the date on your kit if you own that car for some time now. Consult this list just to make sure you have all that is needed. You may think that’s just an extra precautionary measure, but better to be safe than sorry.

Tool kit – You know your car, and you know how big are all the screws and what can go wrong if you have that vehicle for some time now. Keep all the tool’s you know you need in your trunk, or even better, you can get one of those tool-kits with pliers, screwdrivers and wrenches.

Seat-belt cutter – You can’t be prepared well enough if you ever find yourself to be the first witness at a place of accident. Seatbelt cutter could be a life saver, it’s more than affordable and you should keep one in your glove compartment.

Emergency triangle – If you ever found yourself in a situation when your car breaks down in the middle of the highway, you know how scary that situation can get. People driving around you stop being passengers and become a lethal threat really fast. You need to position that triangle at 150 meters behind your vehicle to make sure people will have the time to slow down.

GPS and maps – GPS has become some sort of a mandatory gizmo that now every driver wants to have. It’s only reasonable, especially if you are a new driver or you are going somewhere you never been before. On the other hand, always have a map with you as well, just to be sure.

Spare clothes and a blanket – If you have at least a few years of driving experience, you know that sometimes there will be a situation where you will be stranded by the road waiting for help, or you will just get dirty from changing your tyre. It’s always a good thing to keep a spare shirt and a blanket with you. And while we are on the subject of tyres:

Spare tire -Of course, this is one of the necessities and you are legally obliged to have it, but instead of keeping a standard, good-for-almost nothing spare, you should go and find a place with the wide range of tyres and get yourself one that you can count on actually helping you. Of course, we won’t even mention that you need to have a jack and a wrench at all times, that’s a must.

Any form of fire-starter – If you don’t have a lighter on your dashboard, and even if you do, it wouldn’t hurt having matches and a lighter in the glove compartment.

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One additional advice, having an energy bar stashed somewhere couldn’t hurt as well.