Help guide
Flat tire on the highway: what to do and who to call
Updated October 8, 2026
Get to the right shoulder, turn on your flashers, and stay buckled in the car unless staying is the more dangerous choice. Worry about traffic before the tire.
More than 2,100 people were killed outside disabled vehicles on U.S. roadsides from 2019 to 2023, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Call (307) 365-2527The first 60 seconds
- Do not slam the brakes. Hold the wheel steady, ease off the gas, and signal right.
- Aim for the right shoulder. AAA says the right side is generally safer than the left on a road with several lanes. Get as far from traffic as you can, on level ground.
- Keep rolling if you have to. An exit ramp or a wide shoulder a little farther on is worth a ruined tire.
- Flashers on. Turn your front wheels away from the road and set the parking brake.
Stay in the car, or get out?
AAA's advice is to stay inside with your seat belt on in most cases.
Get out only if you could not get fully off the road, or you are stopped just past a curve where drivers cannot see you in time. If you do get out:
- Use the door on the side away from traffic. That is usually the passenger side.
- Move well away from the car. AAA says at least 40 feet.
- Stand behind a guardrail if there is one.
- Never stand in front of the car or behind it.
Who to call
- 911 if you are in a lane, cannot get off the road, or feel unsafe for any reason.
- Your roadside plan, if you have one through your insurance, a car club or your car maker.
- A mobile tire service like ours, to put the spare on or deal with the tire where you are.
Some states run free highway patrol trucks that help stranded drivers. If one stops, they can often get you off the road. In the Chicago area, our Chicago page lists who runs them and the number to dial. Be careful with any tow truck you did not call. See our guide to roadside and towing scams.
Should you change it yourself on the shoulder?
On a quiet road with a wide, flat shoulder and the flat on the side away from traffic, maybe. On a busy highway, or with the flat on the traffic side, we would not. Kneeling next to a lane of 70 mph traffic is the most dangerous part of having a flat.
The move over law is for you too
Every state and Washington, D.C. has a law telling drivers to move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles. As of late 2025, AAA counts 30 states where that law also covers a disabled car with its flashers on. Do not count on other drivers knowing it. Count on your flashers, and stay out of the way.
Where these facts come from
Checked on October 8, 2026.
Related help
- Can you drive on a flat tire?Only far enough to get out of danger. Driving on a flat tire can ruin the tire from the inside and bend the wheel. Here is what to do instead.
- Tire changeYour flat comes off and your spare goes on.
- Roadside and towing scams: how not to get overchargedNever take a tow you did not call for, and never pay a stranger up front by phone. Here are the roadside scams officials warn about and how to avoid them.