Scavenging these 10 items from cars will help you survive when the collapse arrives

(NaturalNews) Fans of the hit TV show, "The Walking Dead," which follows a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse, know from watching the series that it takes place in Georgia, near the city of Atlanta. There are several episodes where survivors are walking along an interstate filled with thousands of abandoned vehicles.

Why is that relevant? Because abandoned vehicles in a survival situation are extremely valuable - indeed, much more so than the average person might think.

Inoperable vehicles still have value in survival situations

As reported by top survival website PrepForSHTF.com, if you were forced to bug out of an urban or suburban environment, there is no question that you would encounter large numbers of abandoned vehicles at some point on your way to a safe haven. Heck your own vehicle might even break down (or run out of gas):

Of course, people would be reluctant to start tearing their vehicle apart and logic dictates you stay with the vehicle if you expect to survive, but if your vehicle were on roadway in areas that may have avalanches, for example, then you would have to get away quickly leaving the vehicle behind.

In most other cases, your vehicle will provide you with shelter. But in many others, you might have to make way on your own just to survive; before you do, "you need to consider what your vehicle can offer you in the way of survival material," PrepForSHTF.com notes.

Here are 10 items that can be of major use:

-- Seat covers: These can be fashioned into shelter material, body covering against the elements, insulation for the ground (when you sit or sleep), and even a pack used to carry other items.

"Leather seats can be harvested to make shoes, clothing, leggings/chaps for traveling though thorny, heavy brush or used as a poncho. The padding in the seats can be used for ground cover or for insulating the inside of your shelter," the site notes.

-- Auto wiring: Modern-day cars and trucks are equipped with miles of wiring, and this has a number of survival uses, to include making snares to helping you weave together a shelter. And copper stripped from the wiring can be used in conjunction with the vehicle battery to start a fire.

-- Headlights: Most newer vehicles' head lamps are not made of glass but rather heavy plastic. Still, they can be fashioned into sharp cutting tools and weapons. The lamp encasement can also be employed as a parabolic reflector to create a fire with sunlight. And the light lens is well-polished, so it can be used as a signal mirror.

-- Trunk junk: Nearly everyone is carrying a multitude of things in their trunk, from tire irons to firearms. Most everything can be used as a valuable tool; tire irons, for example, can become a weapon, can be used for prying and can be used to dig.

-- Raise the hood: Again, a battery - if it still has a charge - can be used to start fires. The jumper cables from the trunk can be attached on one end, then tapped together on the other to create sparks for a fire. You can access lots of wiring from under the hood too.

-- The actual hood - or trunk lid: You probably won't have the proper tools with you to physically remove trunk lids or hoods, but if you can find one already removed - or find some way to detach them from a vehicle using force - they make good lean-to shelters (if the vehicle itself cannot be used for a shelter - such as when the glass is all smashed or doors are missing).

-- Door panels: The inside door panels can often be simply pulled or pried away from the door itself; they can come in handy as a sled, as they are light enough you can drag them over sand, snow, or gravel. Many panels are merely attached with clips but others with clips and screws. A multi-tool in a glove box is a great pre-bug out idea.

-- Tires: These have steel cables running through them so they would be hard to cut up to use for footwear or other uses. Though the rubber is toxic, burning tires make for good signal fires

- Inner tubes: These would be a real find because only older cars (with original tires) would have inner tubes. But if you find what you basically have are large rubber bands you can use to lash items to your pack or body, for making shelters and other survival uses. Plus they are waterproof.

-- Window glass: The very top of the window glass is not polished so that portion can be used as a knife sharpener. If you have duct tape, put some over the sharp edges and leave the rough surface exposed and you will have a portable knife sharpener. Have extras, and make a handle out of leather seats.

Read the entire report.

Sources:

http://prepforshtf.com

http://survivallife.com

http://www.amctv.com