Added on December 20, 2019  The News Wheel   , , , ,
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PSA: Don’t Drive on a Flat Tire

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A flat tire
It looks like exactly as much fun as it is
Photo: Laura via Flikr

There are a couple of common-sense vehicle practices that even the least experienced drivers know to adhere to. Change your engine oil regularly; make sure you have functional headlights, brake lights, and turn signals; don’t speed past a police officer at 140 mph while blasting particularly angry music; don’t drive on a flat tire.

I know these things. You know these things. I still drove on a flat tire. Don’t be like me. Learn from my tale of idiocy and self-inflicted wallet-pain.

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It started when a very nice gentleman pulled up next to me on my way to the store and told me that my tire looked a little flat. Now, this would have been the moment when a smart person would have pulled off to check how flat “a little flat” is, then requested a tow.

Instead, I — a stupid person—went to the store, then back to my apartment. Again, this would have been a pretty good time to contact someone for a tow. I didn’t. I also didn’t order a Lyft to take me to work in the morning.

I know that sometimes “why you shouldn’t do X or Y” articles seem distant and clinical. You can read the information, totally believe it, and then not act on it if you don’t have a tangible relationship with the consequences. So I’m offering myself up as a living, breathing example of poor decision making.

By the time I wised up and had my car taken to the shop, I’d caused enough damage to necessitate a new tire, and my alignment was a bit out of whack. After all was said and done, my bonehead move cost me just over $225 plus tax between the service and rides back and forth to work.

So, the next time you think you have a flat tire, do the smart thing and don’t drive on it.

Car damage doesn’t have to be devastating: Give your car the best care there is