EVERYBODY needs a set of cables, an improved car jack, a good tire iron, some sort of flares or other emergency markers, and a blanket in their car in case of trouble. Add a three-foot long piece of pipe that will slide over the tire iron handle in case more leverage is needed to unstick an impact-wrenched lug nut! And a small fire extinguisher, serviced annually. And a container with one gallon of water.

I've been shocked and amazed at how many people do NOT carry this stuff routinely in their cars.

In public, I have seen the "ask the guy first" mentality. But amusingly, my straight friends come to me because they believe all lesbians own power tools and that SURELY I will have whatever it is and be able to fix it! (And, indeed, we do own a lot of power tools...)