I was stuck in heavy traffic on a motorway today, and someone was driving along the hard shoulder to get off the motorway with a flat tyre. It was over a mile they drove.
So what would you do?
So what would you do?
Would you drive on a flat?
- Thread starter AnthonyH
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Would you drive on a flat?
If I was stuck in heavy traffic on the motor way and the cars were barely moving, I would pull over put the hazard lights on, put a warning triangle a way up the road behind the car then change the wheel.
If I were in the Mini which has run flats i'd keep driving just reduce speed.
If I could not safely change it I have a tire pump so whack that on to get the pressure back up, reset the tire warning and drive till it came on again. If its only a very slow puncture you can get quite a long way.
If I were in the Mini which has run flats i'd keep driving just reduce speed.
If I could not safely change it I have a tire pump so whack that on to get the pressure back up, reset the tire warning and drive till it came on again. If its only a very slow puncture you can get quite a long way.
OP
OP
I no longer carry a spare, and would stop and phone the RAC i guess.
*me goes to google run flats*
This is giving me food for thought. I carry a pump and repair kit in my evo but nothing in my GP. I should put my spare inflator in my GP, it doesn't have a repair kit, but would likely get me off the hard shoulder without ruining the wheel.
Abdsolutely. Changing a wheel on my golf while it has a spare is a major pain in the arse. There is a wind deflector in the boot. and all my usual junk, the normal road wheel does not allow the boot floor to go down if you swap it with the space saver. There is only one instance I used the spare when my wife somehow got a 6 inch nail through the tread and out the side wall. but other than that every time I have had a puncture I just pump it up and drive it to a tire place.
as for the mini, there are some things to be aware of, run flats technically should not be repaired. they are much more expensive to buy. they make the ride much harder and you are limited by brand some times. I would not recommend them if you don't need them, the mini came with them from new. they are ironically nearly the same tires as fitted to my golf, same brand and type just the runflat version and a slightly higher tire wall, but still 18 inch wheels and they cost about 50% more than the golf tires.
Just carry a pump.
OP
OP
This all sounds right. I bought the spare pump from Home Bargains or B&M for around a fiver with the intention of carrying it. But never got around to putting it in the right car. Now that time arrives!
Its not impossible to have a big puncture like your wife had, but its the less likely for sure.
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If I was in an exposed, dangerous position then yes.
I agree, stuff the wheels, enough people get killed on busy Motorways trying to change a wheel or wait for services, only to find 44 tonnes of lorry with a sleeping European driver up their ar*e.
Especially with "Smart Motorways"
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Smart motorways are statistically safer than dumb motorways. Unfortunately, facts have got rather lost in the emotivity of the discussion. Which I understand by the way, but rather than developing them to be ever safer, crude politics meant that they have simply been abandoned, which makes little or no sense.I agree, stuff the wheels, enough people get killed on busy Motorways trying to change a wheel or wait for services, only to find 44 tonnes of lorry with a sleeping European driver up their ar*e.
Especially with "Smart Motorways"
Greasytrucker
Established member
Not arguing with you or trying to start one but i’d be interested to see the statistics and if they’ve been fudged as i can’t honestly believe you can get any safer than having a permanent dedicated area to pull onto that’s worked for years. I do approximately 100,000km a year and in the short time these things have been about I’ve seen and nearly been involved in more accidents due to broken down vehicles in “live lane 1” than in my previous 20+ years as a professional driver. If they sorted the sensors and cameras out so they actually picked up on breakdowns then it might be a different story……but for me, paint a solid line back on all motorways again and give us a proper hard shoulder back!
This still strikes me as a case of lies, damn lies and statistics
Smart motorways are used where traffic volumes are higher and average speeds are lower. Also they are lit.
Without any element of being smart..they should be safer.
Side note, last time I was on one I got a puncture warning due to a recently fitted new tyre...all the respite zones were closed for 5 miles due to ongoing road works and them being required to store machinery.
Eventually I pulled off at a roundabout and found a little lane to safely check my tyres...if it had been an actual puncture or breakdown I'd have had to stop in a car containing my family in a live lane because they are a **** poor idea.
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Just a cursory search. There's lots more out there.
nationalhighways.co.uk
Smart motorways evidence stocktake - National Highways
What we have done to make our roads even safer
nationalhighways.co.uk
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Pre and post conversion comparisons have been done as you'd expect, and show that in the majority of cases they are safer post. Statistics don't govern sentiment though.
OP
OP
I think lane hopping at speed is the most dangerous activity on busy motorways. The smart motorways force a slower speed on drivers and this reduces accidents.
I'd agree we do need automated lane closures on smart motorways, if a human has to do it then thats going to cause too many delays.
I'd agree we do need automated lane closures on smart motorways, if a human has to do it then thats going to cause too many delays.
Greasytrucker
Established member
How much of that accident reduction is due to having a variable speed limit (which I don’t disagree with when it’s working correctly) and I’d imagine is nothing to do with not having a permanent hard shoulder. I’d argue the statistics would be even better if they’d just used that element of smart motorways. Plus it’s a report published by national highways so i’d be sceptical anywayJust a cursory search. There's lots more out there.
Smart motorways evidence stocktake - National Highways
What we have done to make our roads even safer
I'm not surprised, given in most cases they've reduced 70mph road to a lower average.
That and the prevalence of speed cameras means you're unlikely to get someone blowing through at 100.
However the lack of hard shoulder will always be stupid.
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Fair enough. You're a driver so I respect your scepticism. Statistics don't inform personal experience.
How much of that accident reduction is due to having a variable speed limit (which I don’t disagree with when it’s working correctly) and I’d imagine is nothing to do with not having a permanent hard shoulder. I’d argue the statistics would be even better if they’d just used that element of smart motorways. Plus it’s a report published by national highways so i’d be sceptical anyway
OP
OP
As I understand it;
a) 4 all running, managed lanes, are safer than a conventional motorway.
b) switching between 3 and 4 lanes depending on how busy a motorway happens to be is more dangerous than a conventional motorway.
a) 4 all running, managed lanes, are safer than a conventional motorway.
b) switching between 3 and 4 lanes depending on how busy a motorway happens to be is more dangerous than a conventional motorway.
Greasytrucker
Established member
As I said, I’m not trying to start an argument or saying the statistics are wrong but to me they’re just a crazy idea and smart motorways were only implemented to tick boxes and are a cheaper option than widening schemes for the government
Greasytrucker
Established member
Yes i agree with that element of smart motorways, and that’s probably how they are statistically safer, losing the hard shoulder is the dangerous bit to me
