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.