A tire blowout on the highway: the first ten seconds, and what comes after

The first ten seconds

A blowout usually comes with a bang or a heavy flapping sound, and the car pulls toward the side of the bad tire. Expect that. The car is almost always still controllable if you stay calm.

• Keep both hands on the wheel and hold the car straight. Don't jerk it back.
• Ease your foot off the gas. Let the car slow down on its own.
• Don't slam the brakes, which can upset the car further and swing the back end around.
• Turn on the hazard lights.
• Once the car has slowed and feels steady, brake gently and steer to the shoulder.

Getting off the road

Pick the nearest clear spot, which on a lot of DFW freeways means a narrow shoulder, a barrier, or none at all in a construction zone. Don't try for an exit that's a long way off. If the only clear spot is a little further on, go there slowly. The tire is already gone, and the aim now is simply to be out of the lane.

If there is nowhere to go and you stop in a lane, leave the hazards on, stay buckled in the car and call 911. Don't get out onto a live roadway.

Once you've stopped

If the shoulder is wide and you can move well clear of traffic, get everyone out on the side away from the road and stand behind a barrier or well back from the traffic. If the shoulder is narrow, staying belted inside the car is often safer than standing next to fast traffic.

Look at the damage from a safe spot. A burst tire can tear fender liners, wires and brake lines as it comes apart. Don't drive it any further than you have to. Changing the tire on a narrow shoulder isn't worth the risk, even though the spare is right there.

Getting the wheel back on

A blown tire can't be repaired, so the choices are the spare or a new tire. TRA's flat tire change puts on the spare you already carry. It's from $75, plus a $19 dispatch fee charged once per job. If there's no usable spare, we supply a tire and install it on site, and that's from $129.

Tell dispatch the road, the direction, the nearest exit or mile marker, and which side of the road you're on. We text or call when the driver is on the way. Our average arrival is 30 minutes, with the actual time depending on location and traffic.

Afterward, take a second look at the other tires. A tire that blew was sometimes underinflated or worn, and the rest may be in the same shape. Check the pressure and tread on all four, and on the spare, before you drive on.