How to Change a Tire Safely: Protecting Yourself on the Roadside
A flat tire can happen almost anywhere. While knowing how to install a spare tire is a useful skill, changing the tire itself may not be the most dangerous part of the experience. If your vehicle becomes disabled beside an interstate, highway, or other busy road, passing traffic can put you at risk of a secondary collision. Before reaching for the jack or spare tire, drivers should first determine whether they can safely perform the repair. At Malloy Law Offices, we encourage motorists to prioritize getting themselves away from moving traffic rather than attempting a roadside repair under dangerous conditions. Today’s Malloy Law blog post will concern how to change a tire safely.
Start by Finding the Safest Possible Location
If you notice a flat tire while driving, avoid slamming on the brakes or making an abrupt turn toward the shoulder. Reduce your speed gradually, turn on your hazard lights, and look for a safe place to stop.
Whenever the vehicle remains controllable, try to reach a parking lot, rest area, side street, or another location separated from traffic. Driving a short distance on a damaged tire may ruin the tire or wheel, but stopping immediately in a dangerous travel lane could expose you to a far more serious risk.
If you must stop on the shoulder, move as far away from active traffic as reasonably possible. Choose firm, level ground and avoid curves, hills, narrow shoulders, or other locations where approaching motorists may have difficulty seeing you.
Make Yourself Visible to Other Drivers
Once stopped, leave your hazard lights on. At night or during poor weather, visibility becomes especially important.
If you carry emergency warning triangles or roadside reflectors, place them where approaching motorists have adequate notice of your disabled vehicle. Do not walk into an active traffic lane to position warning equipment.
You should also consider which side of the vehicle has the flat tire. Changing a driver-side tire only a few feet from high-speed traffic can be extremely dangerous. If you cannot perform the repair without putting yourself close to moving vehicles, remain in a safer location and call roadside assistance.
Never assume other drivers will notice you simply because your hazard lights are flashing.
Gather the Equipment You Need
Most tire changes require several basic pieces of equipment:
- A properly inflated spare tire
- A vehicle jack
- A lug wrench
- Your vehicle owner’s manual
- Wheel wedges, when available
Reflective clothing, work gloves, a flashlight, and emergency warning devices can also make roadside tire changes safer.
Before beginning, put the vehicle in Park or in gear for a manual transmission and engage the parking brake. Consult your owner’s manual for instructions specific to your vehicle.
Loosen the Lug Nuts Before Raising the Vehicle
Remove the wheel cover or hubcap if necessary. Using the lug wrench, turn each lug nut counterclockwise to loosen it slightly.
Do not remove the lug nuts completely yet. Breaking them loose while the tire is still touching the ground helps prevent the wheel from rotating while you apply force.
Position the Jack Correctly
Your vehicle has designated jacking points designed to support its weight. Their locations vary between vehicles, so consult your owner’s manual rather than guessing.
Position the jack on stable, level pavement at the appropriate jacking point. Never place yourself underneath a vehicle supported only by a tire-changing jack.
Raise the vehicle until the damaged tire is several inches above the ground.
Remove the Flat and Install the Spare
Finish removing the loosened lug nuts and place them somewhere they cannot roll away. Pull the damaged tire toward you and remove it from the wheel hub.
Align the spare tire with the wheel bolts or studs and carefully slide it into position. Replace the lug nuts by hand and tighten them enough to hold the wheel securely.
Lower the vehicle until the tire contacts the ground but still carries only part of the vehicle’s weight. Tighten the lug nuts in the sequence recommended by your vehicle manufacturer, typically using a star or crisscross pattern. Once the vehicle is fully lowered, check the lug nuts again.
Remember That Many Spare Tires Are Temporary
A compact spare, sometimes called a “donut,” generally is not designed to function like a normal tire for an extended period. It may have restrictions on maximum speed and driving distance.
Check the spare tire itself and your owner’s manual for applicable limitations. Have the damaged tire repaired or replaced as soon as practical.
Know When Not to Change the Tire Yourself
The safest roadside tire change is sometimes the one you do not attempt.
Consider calling roadside assistance or emergency services when:
- Your vehicle cannot get completely out of a travel lane.
- The flat tire faces moving traffic on a narrow shoulder.
- You are stopped around a blind curve or hill.
- Weather or darkness makes you difficult to see.
- The ground is too soft, icy, sloped, or unstable to safely use a jack.
- You do not have the proper equipment.
- You do not feel comfortable performing the repair.
If you must exit a disabled vehicle, pay close attention to surrounding traffic and, where circumstances permit, exit from the side farther away from moving vehicles. Avoid standing directly in front of or behind your vehicle, where a secondary impact could push it toward you.
Roadside Emergencies Can Become Secondary Accidents
A flat tire is inconvenient. Being struck by another vehicle while dealing with one can be catastrophic.
Distracted, impaired, speeding, or inattentive motorists may drift onto the shoulder and strike a disabled vehicle or someone standing beside it. This is why creating distance from traffic and maintaining visibility should take priority over getting back on the road quickly.
A tire can be replaced. Your safety cannot.
Injured in a Roadside Accident? Malloy Law Offices Can Help
If you or a loved one has been injured while changing a tire, standing near a disabled vehicle, or dealing with another roadside emergency because of another driver’s negligence, Malloy Law Offices is here to help.
Our personal injury attorneys serve clients throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. We can investigate the circumstances of the collision, review available evidence and insurance coverage, and explain the options available for seeking compensation.
Contact Malloy Law Offices today for a free consultation. Our experienced and dedicated team can answer your questions and help you pursue compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other accident-related losses.