How to Handle a Tire Blowout at Highway Speed

Nothing about a blowout at 65 mph on the LIE or the Meadowbrook Parkway feels controllable, and the instinct to stomp the brakes is almost always wrong.

1. Stay off the brake

   Braking hard on a blown tire is a good way to spin. Ease off the gas and let speed bleed off naturally.

2. Hold the wheel steady

   A blowout yanks the car toward one side. Steer straight and fight the urge to overcorrect.

3. Let speed drop before you steer anywhere

   Coast down first, then start working toward the shoulder.

4. Change lanes only once you've slowed

   Not before. Control comes first, lane changes second.

5. Hazards on the moment you're stopped

   Then exit on the side away from traffic, if that's safe to do.

6. Skip the roadside repair on a highway

   Call for a tow instead. A highway shoulder is a much worse place to change a tire than any local street.