Flat Tire on I-95? What to Do and Who to Call

The worst place for a flat

A flat in a parking lot is an inconvenience. A flat on I-95 at highway speed, with traffic inches away and no shoulder in sight, is something else. It helps to have the plan in your head before it happens, because you won't want to look it up then.

Here's that plan, built from what FDOT, the Florida Highway Patrol's parent agency FLHSMV, and AAA publish. Read it once now, then save the one number that matters: *347.

The first 30 seconds: keep it straight

You'll usually feel it before you see it: a thump, a pull to one side, a flapping noise, or the TPMS light. A sudden blowout feels more violent. Either way the steps are the same:

1. Hold the wheel firmly with both hands. The car will pull toward the flat side.
2. Ease off the gas. Let the car slow down on its own. Don't stomp the brakes.
3. Signal and move right when there's a gap. Aim for the right shoulder, an exit ramp or a wide pull-off on solid, level ground.
4. Turn on your hazard lights as soon as you're slowing.

If the car can still roll, keep it rolling at low speed to a better spot rather than stopping in a lane. FDOT's guidance says that if your vehicle is blocking a travel lane, Florida law requires you to make every effort to move it out of the regular flow of traffic. Driving a short distance on a flat may ruin the tire or even the wheel, but a tire is replaceable.

If the TPMS light came on with no thump and the car feels normal, it may be a slow leak, not a blowout. Take the next exit and check. Our guide to the TPMS light explains solid vs flashing.

Once you're stopped: who to call

Dial *347 (*FHP) on your cell phone. FLHSMV describes it as the number motorists use to report crashes and stranded or disabled motorists, and the call to the nearest FHP communications center is free. FDOT uses the same number for Road Rangers, its highway service patrol.

What FDOT says Road Rangers do:

• Change flat tires (with your spare)
• Jump-start vehicles and make minor repairs
• Supply emergency gasoline, diesel and water
• Give stranded motorists two free local calls
• Clear disabled vehicles from travel lanes

FDOT says motorists are not charged for the service. If the problem is more than the Road Ranger can handle, they'll move the car out of the travel lane and FHP will contact a tow company, at your expense.

In Broward and Palm Beach, FDOT District Four's Road Ranger guidelines describe patrols on the entire I-95 corridor from the Miami-Dade County line to the Brevard County line, plus parts of I-595 and I-75. Miami-Dade's expressways and Florida's Turnpike have their own Road Ranger patrols. FDOT notes that availability varies around the state, so if you're outside a covered stretch, *347 still reaches FHP.

Have a roadside assistance plan through your insurer, your car's maker or a motor club? Call it too. Tell them your direction of travel and the nearest mile marker or exit.

Stay in the car, or get out?

The sources lean different ways here, so it's worth knowing both:

• FDOT's Road Ranger guidance: once you're out of the flow of traffic, stay inside your vehicle and wait for help to arrive.
• AAA's tire-change steps: if you're changing the tire yourself, have passengers get out and wait away from the road.

On a narrow interstate shoulder with traffic passing at speed, we'd follow FDOT: seat belts on, hazards on, phone in hand, and let the Road Ranger do the roadside work. If you must get out, use the door away from traffic and move well back from the lanes.

Florida's Move Over law now covers you

Florida has long required drivers to move over for emergency, service and utility vehicles. Since January 1, 2025, FLHSMV says the law also protects any vehicle stopped on the side of the road with hazard lights flashing, emergency flares or visible emergency signage. In its words, even a vehicle with a flat tire is protected.

Drivers approaching you must move over a lane, or slow to 20 mph below the posted speed limit if they can't move over (5 mph where the limit is 20 mph or less). That's one more reason to switch your hazards on the moment you know you're stopping.

Spare, kit or nothing?

What happens next depends on what's in your trunk. AAA says roughly 30 percent of new cars come without a spare, up from 5 percent in 2006, with a sealant and inflator kit or run-flat tires instead. AAA's advice is to review your car's flat-tire procedure now, not on the shoulder.

Our spare tire types guide covers each option, and our guide to run-flat tires explains what they can and can't do.

After the highway: getting the tire sorted

A donut or a sealed tire is a way to reach a tire shop, not to finish a road trip. Once you're off I-95:

• Find out if it can be repaired. A puncture in the tread area, up to about a quarter inch, is often repairable from the inside. Damage in the sidewall or shoulder is not. Our repairability checker walks you through it, and our post on nails in tires explains the limits.
• Tell the shop if you used sealant. It has to be cleaned out before a repair, and it can affect the TPMS sensor.
• Check the other tires. If the flat came from a curb or debris, look at the wheel too.
• Replace the spare's air. Donuts usually need more pressure than your regular tires.

If the tire can't be saved, shop by size or vehicle. In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach we install at our Sunrise shop, or our mobile van can come to your home or office once you're off the highway. We don't do roadside rescue; that's what *347 is for. Shipping is free to the 48 contiguous states and DC.

Before your next long drive

The best flat-tire plan starts in the driveway: check pressure cold, look at the tread and sidewalls, and confirm what's in the trunk. Our road trip tire check covers it step by step.