Review of Autolite Flareglo Safety Lite

Written by Elizabeth on December 4, 2007 – 10:07 am -

A couple of years ago, while we were driving to Indiana to visit Chris’ father, the timing chain/belt/whosiwhatsis broke on our car, and it suddenly just stopped working. Chris was able to steer us to the side of the road, and I called our Auto Club for help. We were out in the middle of nowhere, and it was an hour before the tow truck showed up. It was summer, so it was no problem waiting in the car, but I remember that Chris was still very nervous about someone not paying attention and running into the car. And now that I think about it, imagine if it had been at night and all we had were the hazard lights on the car to let oncoming traffic know that our car was sitting there on the shoulder.

The only option for emergency road kits used to be incendiary flares, that you lit and laid on the road. A google search shows that those are no longer available, probably because they are dangerous and don’t last very long. The new way to alert other motorists that your car is broken down is with a battery operated LED light. For Parent Bloggers Network, I reviewed an Autolite Flareglo Safety Lite. Unlike traditional flares that have to be lit to work, the Flareglo runs on two AAA batteries to charge super-bright LED lights that blink rapidly.

Each package contains two compact lights, the whole package fit easily in the storage drawer under the passenger seat of my van. The lights can be seen from up to 500 feet away and last for up to twelve hours. I tested it out by setting the light at the end of my driveway and then going down to the end of my street, which is way more than 500 feet, and I could see the light blinking.

Although it sends me into a mild state of panic to even think about being stranded in the car with my kids in the middle of winter, I know it happens, and it’s my responsibility as a parent to be prepared for that situation. Blankets, bottled water and granola bars, matches, a first aid kit, and now, the Autolites with extra AAA batteries-that is my emergency kit. I just hope I never, EVER have to get them out and actually use them.

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