A flat tyre is stressful enough on any road, but when you're driving on a busy road, traffic is driving around you at a high speed, it can be very alarming. Understanding what to do during those first few moments is key — for you and anyone else driving along with you. This guide will take you through a step-by-step process for safely dealing with a flat tyre and will help you understand what a mobile tyre fitter like SFR Motors Ltd can do to help get you back on the road with minimum stress.
Stay Calm and Assess the Situation
Once you have a strong suspicion that you have a flat tyre, you want to keep your composure. When you suspect a flat tyre, whether you feel it pulling to one side, hear a thumping sound or suddenly notice that the steering is heavy, the most important thing you need to remember is that you need to keep your cool. If the tyre has already lost a lot of pressure, either panicking or braking suddenly can make the car more difficult to handle. Reduce the speed slowly and smoothly and do not make sharp turns.
Step-by-Step: What to Do
Use verbal cues and then move slowly.Use verbal cues and then move slowly.
Once it is safe, signal and start to make a safe move to the hard shoulder, layby or the closest safe verge. Avoid swerving abruptly. When driving on a congested road, give the other motorists enough time to understand what you are trying to do and let them know so far ahead.
- Select the safest possible stopping point
On a motorway, the hard shoulder is the safest place to stop, but the further you can get away from the road, preferably with the front wheels facing away from traffic, is the best place. If possible do not park in a live lane on A-road or on busy urban roads, but seek a layby, side street or a wide verge instead.
- Turn On Your Hazard Lights Immediately
As soon as you know there is a problem, put on hazard lights, even if you haven't come to a complete stop. This gets the attention of other motorists that something is amiss and your car is moving erratically or even slowing down.
- Leave the vehicle safely
If you have been stopped on the hard shoulder of a motorway or where you are near to a fast moving vehicle, leave the motorway from the passenger side of the carriageway and stay clear of the vehicle and carriageway, ideally behind a barrier if available. Do not stand between your car and traffic coming into you!
- Make Yourself Visible
Use a high-visibility vest in the car, and apply it before leaving the vehicle, particularly if it is in bad weather or low light conditions. A warning triangle is also a good way to advise other vehicles that are approaching — but only if it is safe to move it on foot.
- Avoid Attempting a Roadside Change in Dangerous Conditions
Changing the tire could seem like the easiest thing to do, but it can be highly dangerous if you change it on a busy street, on a hard shoulder or on a narrow verge. Most severe crashes on the roadside are actually secondary collisions in which someone is crouching next to their car. If you are close to the roadside, call for assistance and stay in a safe place off the road.
- Call for Professional Assistance
After you and any passengers are clear of any traffic, reach out to a mobile tyre specialist. Give a precise description of your position, preferably with reference to land marks, signage on the motorway or GPS co-ordinates from your mobile phone to help them locate you as early as possible.
In certain instances, it is better to hire a mobile tyre fitter instead of starting from home.Sometimes it is better to hire a mobile tyre fitter than to get started at home.
Roadside tire changes carry the danger of injury – and are unnecessary when it can be done safely. Mobile Tyre Fitting Bathgate services are made specifically for cases like this — a specialist technician arrives at your spot, and is equipped with all the tools they require to inspect the damage and provide a secure repair or replacement with no need for you to obtain jacks, wrenches, or spare tyres and move them to a safe location.
This is especially helpful when:
You're unfamiliar with how to safely change a tyre.
The spare tyre is not the space-saver type that you'd want to use for long journeys.
You are in an area where you have to change a tyre on your own and that involves you getting close to vehicles that are in motion.
The hole appears to be a puncture, but the damage seems more severe.
Puncture or something more serious?
Not all car tyres are punctured tyres. When it seems like a slow leak, it may be a problem with the sidewall, over a split in the tread or it could be a much deeper structural issue that cannot be patched and will require a complete new tread. That is why it's important to have a trained technician check the tyre in the first place, rather than take a shortcut.
Mobile Puncture Repair services are based on just this sort of evaluation — a technician will assess the tyre and determine the safety and viability of repair, for instance repair a tiny puncture in the central tread area rather than the sidewall.
The Importance of Mobile Tyre Services during an Emergency situation.Why Mobile Tyre Services are of Benefit in the Event of an Emergency.
There are a lot of actual benefits to selecting a mobile service instead of attempting your very own repair or waiting for the following scheduled breakdown time:
Quick response — no towing to a garage to get to the speed guys.
Safety-first approach — don't try to change the roadside yourself.
On-the-spot assessment – the professional is able to decide immediately if the repair work is necessary or a complete replacement.
Convenience – once done you're on your way without having to call another recovery and a garage service.
How SFR Motors Ltd Can Help
Here's the kind of help that's needed when it is needed, and that's just what SFR Motors Ltd – Mobile Tyre Fitter offers. So you're stuck in the middle of a busy road with a flat tyre, you call them and they come with all the tools to fix your tyre on the spot, or you call their number too late and it's a slow puncture, they will come by mobile tyre fitting as well.
If you have a number that you know you can call on this kind of occasion, it will be easier to deal with a stressful time without needing to worry about the phone number. Instead of attempting to perform a repair on the road, a call to a qualified technician will send a skilled technician directly to your location, wherever you have been able to stop safely.
Final Thoughts
Knowing what to do when your car has a flat tire on a busy road can make all the difference, as staying calm, moving your vehicle to safety, making yourself visible, and calling for professional assistance instead of attempting to fix the flat tire on the spot will prevent valuable time from being wasted. If you are ever stuck in a situation where the road has thrown at you, you will always have SFR Motors Ltd – Mobile Tyre Fitter at your disposal for any mobile tyre fitting Bathgate, mobile tyre repair and mobile puncture repair that you may require.