FLAT OR BLOWOUT: WHAT TO DO

In the moment

1. Grip the wheel firmly. A deflating tyre, especially a front, pulls the car to one side.
2. Don't brake hard. Sudden braking on a failed tyre is what causes loss of control. Ease off the accelerator and let the car slow itself.
3. Indicate early and steer gently towards somewhere safe to stop.
4. Once stopped, put the hazards on, and don't inspect the tyre from the traffic side of the car.

Around town

Aim for a side street, a car park or a stretch of kerb away from junctions and bends. A few hundred metres at walking pace on a flat is survivable for the wheel if it gets you somewhere safe, but no further: driving any real distance on a flat destroys the tyre and can damage the wheel, turning a one-tyre job into a bigger one.

On the motorway

• If the car is still controllable, leave at the next exit or services if you possibly can. That is by far the safest outcome.
• If you can't, pull onto the hard shoulder or an emergency area, as far left as possible, wheels turned to the left, hazards on.
• Get everyone out through the left-hand doors and behind the barrier, well away from the vehicle. Leave animals in the car.
• Never attempt to change a wheel on a hard shoulder. No tyre is worth standing next to live traffic for.
• On motorways with no hard shoulder, head for an emergency area (the orange bays with an SOS phone). If you are ever stranded in a live lane: hazards on, seatbelts on, and call 999. Follow National Highways guidance.

Once you are safe

Now it is logistics. From a driveway, a car park, a service area or a safe roadside spot, a mobile fitter can come to you, assess the tyre, repair the puncture where it is safe to, or fit a replacement on the spot.

Our emergency callout runs 24 hours. Send your location on WhatsApp or call, tell us what happened, and we give you an honest ETA.

The two-minute prevention plan

• Check pressures monthly. Most blowouts start life as slow under-inflation.
• Glance at the sidewalls when you check: bulges and deep cracks are pre-failure warnings.
• Know where your locking wheel nut key lives. Whoever fits your tyre will need it.