When vanity meets safety....it's a girl thing!

We've all been there; stranded at the side of an unfamiliar road, hoping against hope that a passing motorist will render emergency assistance or provide transportation to the nearest service station. Sometimes the problem is a serious mechanical failure, but all too often the situation could have been resolved with a £3 bottle of motor oil or a 50p bottle of water. If only we had planned ahead, we would have had that one inexpensive item that would have spared us hours of inconvenience.

Although women are more concerned about breaking down or driving in poor weather conditions, I have often wondered whether we are as prepared for our journey as our male counterparts.

A mobile phone, the number of a breakdown company (& the breakdown cover to go with it of course!), warm blanket, first aid kit, torch, a bottle of water and motor oil, and a warning triangle are just a few essentials that all drivers should, in my opinion, be carrying in their car, especially in the event of an accident, breakdown, or when driving in adverse conditions such as on icy or flooded roads. Of course the latsest copy of Heat magazine could also be added to my list to keep one amused whilst you wait to be rescued. Oh come on guys, you know you read it too!

The findings in various UK studies completed over the past five or six years on driving behaviour shout out at me that, although women generally feel more concerned and vulnerable about driving in bad weather conditions, we are less likely to carry emergency safety items in our cars. Male drivers on the other hand will not only do so, but will often include additional items such as small tools, a jack or foot pump, a tow rope, and a high-vis jacket - although I suspect that the latter item probably comes as a result of their job.

Having recently asked many of my female customers and girlfriends what items of safety they always keep in their car, the three most popular items were a mobile phone, ice scraper/de-icer, and, most interestingly and rather surprisingly, sunglasses! Now whilst I do myself like to keep my Raybans very close to hand, I have not disallowed them as indeed they do have a purpose to serve aside from my own vanity. They actually could minimise the risk of our becoming temporarily sun-blind through the car windscreen, particularly during the spring and autumn months when the sun is low.

From the discussions I had with my fellow womankind, other safety concerns raised included ensuring they had their favourite high gloss lippy and perfume atomiser close by, parking in well-lit car parks or streets, and keeping their keys in their hand when walking to and from their car. Personally speaking, I am not that keen on applying whale blubber to my face (sorry girls, but fact!), but I do carry either my car keys (or a biro) firmly in my hand if I am out alone when it’s dark, not least to jab in the eye of any potential attacker that might be foolish enough to cross my path.

Rather more interestingly, out of the 40 or so people I spoke to, not one mentioned carrying a first aid kit. On realising this, I quickly rang round a few of my male friends until I was about to dial number eight on the list when the penny dropped; they’d all included a first aid kit within their “Quick, I’m doing some research for my blog - name 5 safety items you’d carry in your car?” list.

So from my admittedly less than scientific research I have concluded that, whilst men appear to be quite safety conscious, us girls are more concerned with minimising the fear and vulnerability that many of us may feel on the roads - okay, admittedly with the insistence of looking fabulous whilst being utterly terrified!

And in order to protect not just ourselves but the whole family we need to better plan our journeys to prevent a breakdown and/or accident which exposes us to other risks that we also need to better prepare for. With our unpredictable weather and with women still predominantly carrying children as passengers, us girls could really do with improving our safety by ensuring that practical items are kept in our car as a matter of course - right next to the killer heels and emergency makeup bag!