Roadside Emergencies

What to do when it happens to you.

If you commute on a regular basis, you’ve doubtlessly seen many a stranded motorist stuck alongside the road. It happens to almost everyone, eventually. A little preparedness can go a long way in such a stressful situation, and making a roadside emergency kit is one of the easiest things you can do to make ready for such situations. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of making your very own roadside emergency kit. Not only that, but we’ll also go through the process of changing a flat tire, the most common roadside emergency, step-by-step so that you’ll be well equipped when it happens to you.

How to Prepare a Roadside Emergency Kit

Putting together a roadside emergency kit is the easiest thing that you can do to prepare for anything that should happen while you’re on the road. It can be done quickly and inexpensively using many items that can be found in your own home. The following are some suggestions for items that you may want to include in your kit.

• 2 quarts of oil. You’ll find these quite useful if you’re a bit late in discovering that your vehicle has sprung an oil leak. 2 quarts should be enough to allow you to drive to the nearest auto shop. Make sure that the oil in your kit is the same type of oil that you’re currently using in your vehicle.
• 4, 15-minute roadside flares or triangles. If an emergency situation requires you to park your vehicle on the side of the road, place the flares or triangles at 10-foot intervals behind the rear bumper. These will help avoid any accidents involving both passing motorists and your parked vehicle.
• 8 – 12 ft. jumper cables. Make sure the cables are well-maintained and that the metal clamps on each end are clean. If you should find any dirt or corrosion on the clamps, use a wire brush to clean them up as much as possible.
• A tire pressure gauge. Ideally, you’ll use this gauge at least once a week to check the air pressure in all four of your vehicle’s tires. Not only is it dangerous to drive around on under or over-inflated tires, but it can also cost you hundreds of dollars in wasted gas if left unchecked.
• Extra fuses for your vehicle. If you’re unsure of what type of fuses to buy, you can refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual, or you can ask an employee at your local auto supply store.
• A first aid kit. If your situation warrants the use of a first aid kit, you’ll be mighty glad to have one of these handy.
• A blanket. In the worst case, you’ll need to use this for warmth when you’re stuck waiting for a tow truck in the dead of winter. On the brighter side, a blanket will certainly come in handy at ball games and picnics.
• Granola or energy bars, and some bottled water. In the worst case, you’ll be able to live off of this small supply of food while you’re waiting for the blizzard to pass and the roads to clear up. Otherwise, these supplies are good for satisfying hungry kids on a long road trip without having to dish out the cash for fast food.
• A rain poncho.
• A flashlight with extra batteries. In addition to the fact that you just never know when you might need a little extra light, a flashlight will help immensely if you’re changing a tire at night.
• A pen and some paper. You never know when you’ll need them. Be it to exchange numbers with the attractive person you’ve just met in the parking lot, or to exchange insurance information with the person you’ve just rear-ended, you’ll be glad you have these handy items with you.
• An ice scraper. Anyone who currently lives in a snow-producing climate knows the value of having a good ice scraper in your vehicle at all times.
• A multi-function tool. Make sure that the one you choose to keep in your emergency kit contains both Phillips and flat-head screwdrivers, as well as pliers and a pocket knife.
• A roll of duct tape.
• A spray bottle filled with washer fluid. Good for getting rid of pesky bug splatters after a long drive on the highway, as well as for taking care of paint-ruining bird droppings before they can begin to cause damage.

And finally…

• A map and compass.

The items listed above are all the general staples of a good roadside emergency kit, and I encourage you to add to the list as you see fit. It’s quite frustrating to be stranded without an item that you knew you’d need, but just never got around to putting in your kit.

How to Fix a Flat Tire

Flat tires are probably the most common cause of roadside emergencies. Thankfully, vehicles come equipped with everything you need to change a flat tire and be on your way. Unfortunately, many people don’t know where to begin when it comes to changing said tire. Removing the flat tire, and putting on the spare, is not a difficult process – in fact, the entire procedure can be completed in less than 15 minutes if you know what you’re about. The entire process is detailed in the following paragraphs, and it may be a good idea to give it a practice run in your driveway once you’ve read it through. Once you’ve successfully completed the process, you’ll be less stressed when dealing with the real thing.

The Process

• First things first, if you think you have a flat tire (or a tire that’s losing air), you’ll notice the car continually pulling in one direction. If this is the case, the best course of action is to engage your hazard lights and carefully pull your vehicle onto the shoulder of the road. You can continue driving on a flat tire for a short distance in order to find a good place to pull over, but going too far could mean damaging the wheel itself (which is much more expensive to replace than the tire alone).
• When pulling off the road, try to choose a spot that’s clearly visible to traffic, yet as far away from that traffic as possible. The shoulder of a long, straight stretch of road would work well. Also, make sure that the place you choose to park is as flat as possible. You won’t be able to jack the vehicle up on anything but a level surface. If you’re pulling over on a residential road, try to leave about 12 inches of space between the wheels and the curb, this will give you some room to work if you should need to jack up that side of the vehicle.
• Once you’ve found a safe place to park your disabled vehicle, set up your emergency flares or triangles at 10 foot intervals from your rear bumper. You may also want to open up the hood of your vehicle – this indicates to other drivers that you’re in some kind of mechanical distress.
• Firmly apply the parking break, and make sure that you’re transmission is in Park, or otherwise in gear so that the vehicle won’t roll.
• Remove the spare tire, jack, and lug-nut wrench from the trunk of your vehicle. If you’re unsure of they’re location, check in your owner’s manual. They’re almost always underneath a wooden board, down in the well of your trunk.
• Locate some logs, rocks, or other blocky, heavy objects to use for blocking the wheels of the vehicle. Blocking the wheels ensures that it won’t easily roll off the jack. In order to block the wheels, place the objects firmly underneath the front and rear of the tires.
• If necessary, remove the hub cap on the wheel with the flat tire. The hub cap can be easily pried off with any flat-head screwdriver. This will give you access to the lug nuts.
• Use the lug-nut wrench to loosen the lug nuts on the wheel (remember, counterclockwise rotation loosens, while clockwise rotation tightens), but don’t remove them entirely – simply crack them loose so that you can remove by hand later. If they simply refuse to crack loose, you may need to apply some additional pressure to the wrench. One method of applying this pressure is to carefully place the heel of your foot on the end of the wrench, and then proceed to give it good, hard, downward kick. Another method is to use a tool called a leverage pipe (you may want to have one of these in your roadside emergency kit). A leverage pipe is just a peace of piping large enough to fit around the end of the lug-nut wrench, but narrow enough to fit fairly snugly. By fitting the end of your leverage pipe to the end of your lug-nut wrench, you effectively lengthen the wrench itself, giving you a bit of extra leverage to help in the removal of the nut. If you plan on purchasing a leverage pipe, simply take your lug-nut wrench into any hardware or plumbing store and find a size of solid pipe that fits.
• Tip: While attempting to loosen lug-nuts, remember to position the lug-nut wrench in such a way that you’re pulling up on the wrench to loosen the nuts, not pushing down on it. This will help to prevent injury in the case of a nut suddenly cracking loose.
• Tip: If one of the lug-nuts on the wheel looks different from the others, and your lug-nut wrench just doesn’t seem to fit onto it, you’ve got a locking nut on your hands. This type of nut helps to prevent the theft of your wheels. If this is the case, check in you glove box for the key, and refer to your owner’s manual for the proper instructions for removal.
• Once you’ve loosened (but not removed) all of the lug nuts, it’s time to jack up your vehicle. Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual to locate the closest “jack-point” to the disabled wheel. Most vehicle’s have a small slot, or small metal plate, just in front of the rear tires, or just behind the front tires, designed specifically for use with the jack. Once you’ve found the jack point, place the jack squarely underneath it. At this point, you’ll want to make sure that the jack is on solid, level ground (not grass or dirt).
• Jack the vehicle up until the flat tire leaves the ground. From that point, continue raising the vehicle for about 6 more inches. Remember, the spare tire will be full of air, and require more space than the flat tire you’re presently working with.
• Remove the lug nuts from the flat tire. They should be loose enough to simply spin off by hand. Be sure to put them somewhere they won’t get lost – a pocket works best.
• Grab the flat tire at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions and evenly pull the flat tire off the vehicle.
• Using the same hand positions on the spare tire (9 and 3), position the spare tire in front of the wheel well. Make sure the air pressure valve is facing out, and then align the holes in the center of the wheel with their respective bolts on the vehicle. Push the wheel onto the bolts, and then back into the wheel well, until it won’t move any farther.
• Remove the lug nuts from your pocket (or wherever you chose to put them), and screw them on to the threaded bolts. First tighten them by hand, then with the lug wrench. To ensure that the tire is tightened evenly, use a star or crisscross pattern when tightening the bolt. For example, number each lug nut from one to five in a clockwise order. Then, tighten them in the pattern 1, 3, 5, 2, 4.
• Once you have all of the lug nuts properly tightened, it’s safe to lower the vehicle and remove the jack.
• At this point, give each of the lug nuts one final tightening. You want to make sure that your spare tire is as secure as it can be. If you have a leverage pipe, use it now to finish tightening the lug nuts. If you don’t have a leverage pipe, use as much pressure as possible (as before, you may want to press down on the wrench with the bottom of your foot for additional force).
• If you had to take the hub cap off earlier, pop it back onto the wheel.
• Put all of your tools away in your trunk so they’ll be available the next time you need them. Grab the flat tire and put it in the trunk - you may want to put a towel or cloth down beneath it, as it will probably leave a number of black marks wherever you store it.
• Remove the wheel blocks from all the wheels.
• Drive to the nearest auto repair shop. In most cases, they’ll be able to fix your tire while you wait, and you’ll be back on your way in no time.

That’s all there is to it! Be sure you check the pressure in your spare tire at least once per month, as no one wants to be stranded with both a flat tire and a flat spare. Taking a couple of minutes to make sure your spare is in good shape could save you an expensive ride in a tow truck later on.

A little preparedness goes a long ways when it comes to roadside emergencies, and a little practice will make a great deal of difference when you’re faced with the real thing. Take the time to put together a roadside emergency kit, and spend a little time familiarizing yourself with the steps involved in changing a flat tire. If the time should come when you need to put your preparedness into action, you’ll be glad you put in the effort.

Be safe out there.