Maybe a bit of elaboration will help folks better understand the scenario that I have experienced, and that IMO you are considering.

You have a 4 lane limited access parkway/highway. It is filled with bumper to bumber traffic. Little or no shoulder to pull off the road. Exits are a good distance apart. Cold winter day. It snows, and the road ices up. Traffic stops and doesn't move for hours, maybe many hours or overnight.

Sanding/gritting vehicles can't do anything because the road is filled with stopped vehicles. They can't get where they need to be because they need to use the same road. The only way to clear things is to try to free up the exits, and get the cars off the highway via the newly opened exits. This can be made much harder if: 1) people abandon the vehicle, leaving it blocking the cars behind it or 2) running out of gas because they stayed with the engine running to stay warm, again blocking the cars behind them. These cars need to be removed by tow trucks.

So, if you are in the center of the mass of cars, you are there for the duration, without a way to know how long. If you lock and abandon your vehicle, no telling how long it will take to get it back and in what shape. Also, your actions slowed down the rescue efforts of other folks.

So, you thought you were on your normal commute home from your office or a business meeting, and now you face a cold night in the car. What should you have with you?