Safely Change a Tire on the Road

1. Park in a safe location: Move your car to a safe place, turn on your hazard lights, and engage the emergency brakes before getting out of the car.

2. Collect tools: Locate the spare wheel, lug wrench, and jack. Check to ensure all the tools are in working order.

3. Loosen lug nuts: Use the lug wrench to loosen the lug nuts before raising the car with the jack. This will prevent the wheel from spinning when you try to loosen the nuts.

4. Lift the car: Use the jack to lift the vehicle until the tire is about 6 inches (15 cm) off the ground.

5. Remove the flat tire: Make sure to place the flat tire underneath the car in case the jack fails. Then remove the lug nuts and carefully take off the wheel.

6. Install the spare tire: Align the spare tire to the wheel bolts and put the lug nuts back on. Tighten them by hand as much as possible.

7. Lower the car: Slowly lower the car until the spare tire contacts the ground but don’t completely remove the jack.

8. Tighten the lug nuts: Use the lug wrench to tighten the lug nuts in a criss-cross pattern. Make sure they’re as tight as possible without over-tightening.

9. Lower the car completely: Carefully lower the car to the ground and remove the jack. Use the lug wrench to double-check each lug nut’s tightness.

10. Check your spare tire’s pressure: Make sure the spare tire is inflated to the recommended pressure. If not, take your car to the nearest tire shop to get it inflated.

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