Tips On How To Manage A Flat On The Side Of The Highway

When you blow a tire on the highway, the scariest part of the whole incident is trying to control the vehicle and make sure it comes to rest on the side of the road and not in a ditch. When other vehicles are just flying by you, it becomes an even more tenuous situation because you are trying really hard to keep your vehicle from steering into both the ditch and the traffic coming up from behind and alongside you. If you are able to get your vehicle to slow down, stop, and come to rest on the side of the road, here is what you need to do next (especially if you do not have a spare tire in the trunk!).

Very Carefully Exit Your Vehicle

If your vehicle is not far enough off of the road, wait until most of the traffic has passed before exiting your vehicle. If you can, exist on the passenger side instead, where you are less likely to be hit by an oncoming car or truck. Regardless of which side you use to exit, be sure to exit very carefully, and then get to the front of the vehicle or the very back of the vehicle. 

Evaluate the Flat 

Make sure you can stand somewhere safe while you look at the flat tire. When you call roadside towing services, the dispatch driver is going to want to know how bad the situation is, including damage to the rim of the wheel and any twisted wheels where the rest of the wheels on the vehicle are straight. If the flat is just poked flat and not rubber completely separated from the wheel, that is easier to fix and less costly to repair, which is what the towing company is going to want to know. 

Make Sure Your Vehicle Is Definitely off the Road

The tow truck driver can help change the flat and bring the new spare if you tell them you do not have a spare in the trunk. However, he/she is putting his/her life on the line changing a flat on the side of the highway. For that reason, be sure your vehicle is as far over to the side of the road as it can get without being in the ditch. If the rim of the flat tire is bent or twisted, a tire change is not possible. The vehicle will have to be towed to a mechanic. To make this all safe enough for the driver to manage, the car has to be as far out of the way of traffic as possible.

Contact a company like Valley  Express Auto Repair today for more information and assistance.