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How do you get a car out of the mud?

This past weekend we were offroading on the back part of our farm in Eastern Oregon when my brother’s car got stuck in some mud. How do we get it out?

avatar
Will Baldwin · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
That sounds like lots of fun (until the ending of course)! To get the car out, you can either call a tow service or try to free the tires yourself using your car mats.
Here’s how to fix the problem on your own:
  • If you have sand or rock salt on hand, sprinkle it around the tires to help give them some extra traction.
  • Place your car mats, a piece of cardboard, a blanket, or any other sturdy material you have on hand in front of the tire. Try to wedge some of the material under the tire itself.
  • Accelerate very slowly, giving your tires a chance to gain some traction.
  • Once you start moving, keep going to maintain momentum, but stay at a slow speed until you’ve shed some mud off of the tires. Then, work your way up to a normal speed.
  • Avoid lines in the mud created by other cars on your way out.
If that didn’t work, you can enlist another car to try to pull you out with a recovery strap or you could call a tow service.
Whenever you get stuck in the mud (or any other unexpected situation), you want to have a reliable
roadside assistance
program at your beck and call. With
Jerry
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