You’ve found yourself in a predicament – your tire is flat. Maybe you’re only 10 minutes away from home and think you can take a chance and drive on it. But even this short distance isn’t a good idea. It's more than just an inconvenience; driving on a flat tire can cause damage not only to your car but also potentially to you.

Driving on a flat tire can damage things like your alignment and your breaks, not to mention the wheels themselves. It can also mean much poorer handling, putting you and your passengers at risk for an accident. As soon as you find out you should find a way to pull over quickly and safely.

Can How Long Can I Drive on a Flat Tire?

You shouldn’t drive more than 2 miles on your flat tire, but even that is pushing it. The sooner you get your car off the road, the better. Every mile you drive on a flat means more potential damage to you and your vehicle.

What To Do With A Flat TIre?

Getting a flat tire is a big headache, but there are a few ways to safely solve this issue. 

If you have a spare tire on hand and know how to put it on, bravo! You’ll be back on the road in no time. But not everyone knows how to change a tire though, and that’s okay.

Services like AAA offer roadside assistance. A trained technician can be dispatched to help put on your spare. It should be noted that spare tires are not suited for extended travel. You should travel no more than 50 miles on your spare.

No spare? That’s okay. Roadside assistance can also tow your car to a local trusted tire shop to have your tire repaired or replaced.

If the damage to the tire is a puncture, you can fill it with a tire sealant. However this only works for punctures up to about ¼ of an inch. If your tire is shredded, torn or has a larger hole in it, the sealant won’t be enough to fix it.

You don’t want to be stuck on the side of the road with no way to get help if you have a flat tire. Now is a good time to check on your spare tire and look into roadside assistance services to ensure you’re prepared for anything.