Friend has flat tire after dark on I35. What can tell her to do?

August 25, 2024 7:58 PM

It's dark. My friend is stuck on the side of I35 somewhere between Austin and Waco, Texas. She's not near any town and doesn't know where she is and can't see any signs. She has a spare tire but has never changed a tire.

She let her AAA membership lapse and doesn't think her insurance covers roadside assistance. She and I are both old ladies and she may be 60-100 miles from me. It's nearly 10pm and I'm in a wheelchair, not a great afterdark driver, and physically unable to change a tire. She called me for help but I don't know what to do. Any advice?

posted by a humble nudibranch to Travel & Transportation (16 answers total)

Best answer: The manual for the car, which should be in the glove box, will have instructions on how to change a tire. If they're not up for that, they don't need AAA, they can just call a local towing company, and pay them to come help. Should cost less than $100.
posted by aubilenon at 8:06 PM on August 25 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Did she call you from a smartphone? Then maybe she could tell you her location via the phone’s map and you could look up towing companies nearby and help her arrange the tow.
posted by expialidocious at 8:09 PM on August 25 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Doh, I don't have a cell phone and didn't know a phone can show you where you are! So how do you get the phone to show where you are? I know nothing about smartphones.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:14 PM on August 25

Best answer: if your friend uses an iphone and the default texting app Messages, they can click on the plus sign to the left of the text entry area and select "location" and send that to you. You'll get a link to their GPS map location.

Alternately they can open the Maps app, click on the blue dot in the map, and share that location with you via the share icon. You'll receive a map link with their GPS location.
posted by zippy at 8:22 PM on August 25 [2 favorites]

Best answer: On my android phone, I just open google maps, and a blue dot appears on the map that indicates where I am. When I tap the dot, it gives me the specific address of my location.
posted by SageTrail at 8:23 PM on August 25

Best answer: Does she know how to open the maps app on her smart phone? If she does a pinch motion with two fingers it will zoom out and she might be able to see the closest town.
posted by freethefeet at 8:24 PM on August 25

Best answer: According to this Texas DOT has some kind of 24/7 non emergency roadside assistance : https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/safety/celebration/program/phone_nos.pdf
posted by sepviva at 8:31 PM on August 25 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I know this is late but useful in the future - two different answers from search results for "I35 texas roadside help". One of those two phone numbers ought to help

1. TxDOT operates a free roadside assistance program for stranded motorists along US 183, I-35, US 290, SH 71 and MoPac. Motorists in need of assistance can call (512) 974-HERO (4376) between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

2. Who do you call when you are stuck on the highway in Texas?
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY (DPS) 24-HOUR NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER/ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 800-525-5555 • txdps.state.tx.us Call for non-emergency roadside assistance; answered 24 hours a day by a live operator. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1.
posted by TimHare at 8:34 PM on August 25 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Yay! Thanks for the phonemap tips. She now knows where she is and was able to call, rejoin AAA, and they are on the way to help her. I love y'all for walking me though this and helping me keep my cool. I'll update when I know she's home. Thanks again!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:39 PM on August 25 [53 favorites]

Best answer: What zippy said about sending location, if she has a smartphone.

I drive the stretch between Austin and Waco a lot, and there's not a huge amount that's totally out in the country these days. If there's genuinely no town or buildings nearby at all, she's probably on the stretch between Troy and Lorena, north of Temple. If she can narrow her location down to a smaller area based on what she passed through recently, that would help any roadside assistance find her.
posted by ormondsacker at 8:39 PM on August 25 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: She just called and says assistance came and she's back on the road. Another MeFite success collaboration! And all done in under an hour. Y'all are THE BEST!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:08 PM on August 25 [71 favorites]

Best answer: You can also call non-emergency police number (ie: not 911) and they will send somebody way faster than AAA, and if there is a free roadside assistance, they will often come very quickly as well with the police, or instead of a cop car.

AAA is fine - but you have to be willing to wait - often, and often for a long time.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:52 AM on August 26

Best answer: For future reference: Even if you let AAA lapse, you can call them and reinstate immediately with a credit card and they'll send out a truck
posted by simonelikenina at 8:56 AM on August 26 [2 favorites]

Best answer: This is the next day but I wanted to add that she could just call 911–I’ve called dozens of times over disabled vehicles. A dead car on the side of the freeway is plenty close enough to an emergency (just needs a Tesla cruising by to cause an accident!), and 911 calls geolocate (so you don’t have to know where you are)— the desk number doesn’t do that (unless there’s some new hotness, which isn’t unlikely…).

Glad it got straightened out.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 12:42 PM on August 26

I'm an old lady too and I'm amazed at how many people, old and young, female and male, are incapable of changing a tire. Urge your friend to get someone to teach her how to change a tire in broad daylight on a flat driveway. One helpful trick is to have a 3 ft or so length of metal pipe that is big enough to slip over the lug wrench. This extends the lug wrench and gives wimpy people like me extra leverage to make tire changing easier.
posted by mareli at 6:40 PM on August 26

For future reference

Also if you are on a easily identifiable route you can just tell the roadside assistance operator that you are "on I35 about FOO minutes from [wherever you were coming from/last place you passed that you do know]" and a description of your vehicle. The driver will just drive along the route until they find you. It's how we did it before everyone had satellite mapping in their pocket.
posted by Mitheral at 6:10 AM on August 27