8 tips so you know what to do if your car gets stuck in mud

It’s that time of year when heading out on adventures can get downright dirty.  Regular downpours of rain and drizzle lead to fields and car parks turning from grassy or dirt-packed areas to mud puddles.  It’s not such a problem on a hike. You simply bring a change of footwear, make sure your car is equipped with a good set of rubber mats and typically it’s no big deal.  But what happens if you return from that glorious hike to find your car’s tyres have sunk down into a muddy car park?  Stay calm, we’ve got tips for what to do if your car gets stuck in mud.

  • Firstly, reduce the weight inside of the vehicle by having passengers stand a safe distance away from the car.
  • Ensure tyres have room to manoeuvre by turning the steering wheel back and for.
  • Get the car into a gentle rocking motion by moving between forward gears and reverse to get some momentum, but don’t do this for a long period of time.
  • Put your car into second gear if you have a manual transmission, or the lowest gear if you drive an automatic and use low revs to drive.
  • If your tyres can’t get a grip you could place car mats beneath them to get things going.
  • Push very gently on the accelerator until you can get some traction.
  • Drive very slowly to remove excess mud from your tyres.
  • When you’re out of the muddy area, pull over to firm ground and check your vehicle is safe to continue on with the journey

We hope you never are in this situation, but at least now you’ll know what to do if your car gets stuck in mud. Enjoy your November adventures!