Train ALL Able Bodied Drivers in Your Household to Change a Tire

I recommend to everyone that they teach tire changing to ALL drivers in their household if the driver is physically able. AAA and other roadside services are great and I have had a AAA membership for 20 years but sometimes they take time. Another issue can be location. If you don’t know the road number or name you can’t tell anyone including AAA your location. A woman sitting beside the interstate in a stationary car with a flat tire is clearly a potential target. A few minutes changing a tire (looking capable, self reliant AND having a tire tool in hand) really beats an hour wait on AAA. Youngest daughter made me proud a year ago doing a 6-7 minute tire change beside I95. After calling me to inform me of her situation and location she got busy changing the tire on her KIA. I started heading her way but less than 10 minutes after her first call she called again to say she was rolling again. She made daddy proud. Training family members in this activity also lets you locate and verify the jack, jack handle, proper locations for the jack on your car, special instructions etc. Better to learn on level pavement on a nice day than beside a lonely 2 lane sloped muddy shoulder on a rainy night. And speaking of mud, a 12 to 18 inch square board under the jack base is handy if you’re stopped off pavement and the ground is soft. Tire changing is a basic skill that every able bodied driver should know. It’s no fun and you may ruin your clothes BUT you’ll be safe and on your way in just a few minutes.

Comments

Train ALL Able Bodied Drivers in Your Household to Change a Tire — 1 Comment

  1. Great topic Doug! Just to add a sidebar – let your folks know that just because they have a flat tire doesn’t mean you have to STOP right there! You can limp down the shoulder until you are in a better location. For example: NOT beside a guardrail! Not at the end of an on ramp. Not in a curve or opposite of a hilltop. In short, put your safety over the possibility that you might ruin a rim. Deal with that later.
    73’s,

    Jake