BETHESDA, Md. — There's very little worse than heading out into a snowstorm with bad tires, and AAA MidAtlantic says it's been getting "flat out" blasted with calls from people with tire problems all winter.
But with an increase in stranded drivers heading to their trunks looking for a spare tire, more people are finding out they don't even have one.
According to the AAA, one-third of new cars manufactured since 2017 are no longer equipped with spares. Leaving off a full-sized spare tire can help automakers meet federal mileage requirements, and save money. Consumers Reports says many cars now only come with a small, temporary donut tire.
AAA MidAtlantic said it got 89,000 calls in 2021 for people with tire problems in Maryland alone. Of those, 20,000 had to be towed and half of those drivers had no spare.
"Over half of the tire-related calls that we had that required a tow, it was because there was no usable spare in the vehicle," Ragina Ali of AAA MidAtlantic said.
The Maryland General Assembly is currently considering a bill that would mandate that rental car companies at least disclose if there's no spare tire in your rental car.
In the meantime, if you find yourself driving a car without a spare tire, here are a few things you could do to head off trouble.
- Take a quick loop around your car and check if there's any obvious damage every time you use it.
- Check your recommended tire pressure. It's usually posted on the driver's door jamb. Then check the actual inflation on your tires with a tire gauge and make sure your tires are pumped up to the recommended pressure. Tires lose pressure in the cold.
- Take a quarter and stick George Washington's head down into your tire tread. If you can see the top of Washington's head, your tread is worn out and you need new tires.
Sign up for the Get Up DC newsletter: Your forecast. Your commute. Your news.
Sign up for the Capitol Breach email newsletter, delivering the latest breaking news and a roundup of the investigation into the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.