A flat tire on the 405 freeway taught me a new rule

I was stuck in the usual morning crawl on the 405 near Culver City when my tire pressure light came on. I managed to get over to the shoulder just as the front right tire went completely flat. I had a spare, but my old jack was rusted shut and wouldn't turn. A highway service truck saw me and stopped, and the guy had me back on the road in ten minutes. Now I keep a small bottle jack and a real flashlight in my trunk, not just my phone. What's the one thing you learned to always keep in your car after a bad commute?

3 comments

3 Comments

adamthompson1mo ago

My lesson was to keep jumper cables after my battery died. Guess I needed the car to literally not go to learn that.

the_jennifer1mo ago

Had the exact same thing happen last winter, had to wait an hour for a tow truck in a grocery store lot. Now I keep cables and one of those portable battery packs in the trunk.

taylor121mo ago

After my own dead battery, a jump pack like @adamthompson mentioned is now a permanent trunk item for me.