By Ben Garcia
A friend of mine, an Egyptian taxi driver, died while he was changing his car's tyre by the roadside. He was hit by a car and died instantly last year. He was 35 years old and has two small children - a very sad way to die, in a freak accident. Changing a tyre by the roadside can be a dangerous thing to do in Kuwait. This is not the first time I have heard such stories, as people being hurt or killed when their car is stopped on the sides of the roads is an all too frequent occurrence.
Knowing how to change a tyre is a necessary skill for all drivers, both male and female. A driver must know the step by step process of changing tyres. Flat tyres can happen anywhere, and your smartphone is no substitute to knowing how to change a flat tyre. Stay safe!
Kuwait Times recommends driving until you reach a safe place before stopping. It doesn't matter if your tyre rim gets totally ruined - it's better than being hit by an inattentive driver.
Here are some tips on changing a flat tyre in the middle of the road:
- Immediately find a safe place to stop away from the roadside. An empty parking lot would be an ideal place. You have to find level ground as it is a good place to prevent your vehicle from rolling. Also, straight stretches of road are better than curved because oncoming traffic is more likely to see you. If you can get off the highway completely, do so.
- In case you are on the highway, switch on your flasher lights so that other drivers can see you.
- While at a safe place, you may now check your car for warning signs. The warning sign is a signboard required to be placed at the back of your car to warn other vehicles. Put the warning sign at least 50 meters away for early warning for passing cars.
- Once stopped, always use the parking brake when preparing to replace a flat tyre. This will minimize the possibility of your vehicle rolling.
- This time, you have either two decisions to make - call for help or do it yourself.
- You may call for help from the nearest garage you know or family/friends.
- If everything is safe, you can find the necessary tools/equipment needed to change your tyre in your car. Items you'll need to fix a flat tyre include a jack, lug wrench, fully inflated spare tyre and most importantly, the vehicle owner's manual.
- Your car must be in a place where you can easily move from left to right freely. Place the car jack on a hard surface so that it can lift the weight of your car.
- Wheel wedges go in front or behind the tyres to further ensure the vehicle doesn't roll while you fix the flat tyre. If you're changing a rear tyre, place these in front of the front tyres. If your flat tyre is at the front, put the wheel wedges behind the rear tyres.
- Bricks or large stones will work just as well as "real" wheel wedges. Just be sure they're large enough to stop the car from rolling.
- Remember this - it is always better to check the tyre daily. Inspect it before driving. Do regular tyre maintenance as possible. If the tyre is not inflated, visit the nearest garage to inflate your tyre.