(NEWS 8) — Changing a flat tire is never fun, but it turns out many drivers couldn't if they wanted to.
A new report finds many new cars do not come with a spare tire.
Triple a truck operator Jerome Bowman answers the call when people break down on the road.
On a recent call the driver suffered a flat tire.
But when Bowman went searching for a spare in the trunk he came up empty.
And it turns out this is a common problem.
"A lot of newer vehicles don't have spare tires," said AAA's Bownman.
A new report from AAA finds 28 percent of 2017 model year vehicles are sold without a spare tire as standard equipment.
Bowman says many people don't even know it.
"A lot of people are unaware of what's in their trunk," he said.
Automakers started removing spare tires a few years ago.
AAA says they did it to make the car lighter, which provides better gas mileage.
Last year, AAA responded to 450,000 calls involving drivers who didn't have a spare.
Some high-end vehicles do come with run flat tires.
The car Bowman recently responded to had an inflator kit and sealant, but he said it wasn't enough to fix this flat.
The only option was to tow it away to a tire store.
The spare is optional on many new vehicles.
AAA recommends always double checking to make sure there is one before purchasing a new car.