The New York Times featured a story about a man who was driving near Oswego NY when he had to pull off the road due to a belt snapping -- and his power steering failing. His car was literally buried by a passing snowplow. He called 911 for assistance -- but cellphone reception was "spotty" so the 911 operators could only narrow-down his location to a three-mile stretch of highway. But nobody could find the car -- as it was buried in a snowbank. All of this was taking place during the nor'easter which hit New York a few days ago. Eventually, the man in the car got another (momemtary) call through to 911 -- and the operator was able to pin-down his location to the "address" of a nearby house. A New York State Trooper climbed up-and-down snowbanks until he finally spotted a snowbank that looked "a little higher than the others". The Trooper dug into the snowbank and hit the glass of the car! The driver was rescued -- and was not shivering (a very bad sign) -- was taken to a Hospital where he was treated -- and released! The car driver recalls sitting in his unheated car for hours, playing CDs until the car-battery died, and (trying to) make cellphone calls to 911. The Trooper believes that had this man been stranded for another hour -- he would not have been found alive.

At any rate, here is the link to the NYT Story (much of which I have paraphrased here).

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/nyregion/snow-storm-rescue.html

Would anyone care to suggest possible actions the car driver might have taken that would have avoided his near-death encounter?

Vehicle maintenance helps a lot. Pulleys and belts generally show wear or make noises way before they fail.

Things to keep warm.

Not sure if he choose to stay in the car on purpose? “He said he felt safer in the car.”

More specific to me when driving in the mountains and snow; i generally also have my avalanche gear with me in those conditions (shovel, probe, beacon, airbag).

Staying in the car is reasonable for a while, but after a few hours, roll down a window (a good use for the car battery, instead of playing CDs) and dig out. Hopefully while warmly dressed.....

I remember in around 1976 -77 in Colorado El Paso county when I was a deputy sheriff riding in a surplus army weasel with the mounted rangers. Digging out stranded cars on hwy 24 . Breaking window to check for survivors. Thankfully most were vacant. Some tragically not. 20 high drifts. If I remember correctly 6 people did not make it. Two were a tow truck driver and his customer no winter gear etc.

Wow, he got lucky! In that situation at least I'd be fine for a good while provided I wasn't too buried to breath. This is exactly the kind of situation I had in mind when I set up my winter kit in my car: Wiggy's 0 degree bag, Wiggy's Mukluk overboots, coverall-type snow pants, Wiggy's mittens, spare clothes, water bottles, traction mats, small shovel, freeze dried meals, etc. I've even got a Silky Kataboy in there in case a downed Tamarack tree blocks me on a mountain road.

This is exactly the "worst case survivable" scenario that my car emergency kit was originally built around, although in my scenario it takes three days for me to be found.

1) Maintain your car properly. I don't know that this person did or did not do so.

2) Have a kit in your car, reachable by the driver, consisting of at least appropriate outerwear for the conditions plus at least a Heatsheets or similar blanket. My kit is rather more capable than that.

3) Have a plan. I would be unwilling to use up the car's battery power before escaping.

4) Execute on the plan.

5) Learn from others. In my case, I'm not certain I could get to the shovel in the trunk of my car from inside the cabin. I'll spend some time this week figuring that out.

Accessing the trunk from the cabin---fortunately, very easy in both our vehicles. In mine, pop a latch near the rear seat and you can get all the goodies in the trunk, which I keep stocked with basic necessities.

The most obvious is: know a major storm is coming, stay home, or at least stay off the roads if at all possible. My DW and I have an understanding that a surprise blizzard or ice storm makes it okay to grab the closest hotel for the night.

Have some cold weather gear within reach of the driver. If you've lost the road and hit a power pole, you may not be in a condition to worm your way into the trunk. A queen size fleece blanket fits neatly behind the passenger seat. Better still, dress for the conditions and keep your car cool. What you're wearing may be all you have, and insulation works even when you're unconscious.

And IMO: unless you live in a place where people automatically shoot first and ask questions later, knock on the door of the nearest house, stand well back so you're no immediate threat, and ask them to call 911. People are generally better than you may have heard.

carry a zero degree sleeping bag and water