Are you ready for safe travel?

Hundreds of us in the Ozarks will head for the highways and byways this holiday season. Whether it�s for meeting up with your family or going on a shopping trip�but most of us aren�t ready to face the unexpected � car problems.

The American Red Cross Greater Ozarks Chapter encourages everyone to have a road survival kit and highway safety kit in each vehicle, especially as travel plans increase during the holidays.

Your road hazard survival kit includes:
 Heavy blanket
 Candle
 Waterproof matches
 Puncture seal
 Flares
 Heat packet (for cold hands or feet)
 Gloves
 Lock de-icer
 Flashlight
 Batteries
 Gas-line Anti-freeze
 Anti-fog shield
 First Aid kit

Each highway safety kit includes:
 Booster cables
 Tire gauge
 Tow rope
 Ice scraper
 Light with 15-foot cord
 Siphon pump
 Phillips screwdriver
 Slot screwdriver
 Adjustable wrench
 Slip-joint pliers
 Electrical tape
 Anti-freeze tester
 Funnel
 Puncture seal

These kits are prepared and available at the American Red Cross, Greater Ozarks Chapter, located at 1835 East Chestnut Expressway in Springfield. For more health and safety items, you may stop by any time or during the Holiday Product Show, Friday, December 5 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide.