Do you help stranded motorists?

[Country Boy]

I voted "depends". If the situation looks under control (tire already being changed, another vehicle already stopped, driver on cell phone, ...), I'll go on my merry way. Otherwise, I'll usually turn around and see if I can help. I keep aware of the situation and surroundings, but in ND & SD I feel comfortable rendering help. It doesn't hurt that I can and do carry in both states.

 

[444]

I live in a small town about 60-70 miles away from Las Vegas. A lot of the residents here work in Las Vegas, or at least drive there fairly regularly. So, people tend to have some pretty significant milage on their cars and they also spend a lot of time on the road which obviously increases you chances of having a problem. So far at least, this small town has remained semi-rural. We don't have a lot of the beautiful people living here yet. So, most people are working at middle to low income jobs and drive whatever they can afford. Between here and there, there is absolutely nothing. And, in the summer it is obviously very hot. Until recently (within the last year), cell phones did not work for the majority of this trip. So, if you broke down, you were screwed unless someone stopped to help. I would not hesitate to stop for someone broken down while I am on my way to work.

I was on my way to work last year and got a flat. A guy pulled up beside me in a service truck and fired up the air tools. I had the tire changed out in five minutes and barely got dirty.

I never stop for accidents. What am I going to do ? I have stopped for car fires when I saw that the people trying to fight the fire were going to get hurt and wern't doing anything effective to control the fire.

 

[FedGunner]

If you look like a crack head.. I'm not stopping... yes I do "profile".

I stop 90% of the time.

 

[larry_minn]

- Yep also voted Depends. If alone and things look good I will stop. If with wife/family likely not. Course in current weather I will as it is -24 BELOW....Dang COLD
I don't repair cars anymore. I will call for help/give ride to next town (IN MY DIRECTION) (with minor exceptions if other direction is really close)
Only had one person start to get weird. Dumped them out on side of road.
BTW at accidents I use my car/truck as shield. Folks can hit it if they want to protect me and injured.

 

[71Commander]

I stop for cute gals

and sometimes others if they look like upstanding citizens.

Help me out here as I can't tell the difference between upstanding citizens and mass murderers.

I have long hair, a full beard, own a harley and yet the state thinks i'm honorable enough to give me a CCW.

Please don't judge appearances, it could be fatal. I'm sure that Dahmer and Bundy looked like fine upsanding citizens.

 

[iapetus]

The closest I've come to a situation like that was when a couple of months ago I saw a middle-aged man lying on a street corner, with a younger man walking away from him. No one else was near by.

My first thought was that it might have been a mugging, then that he might have slipped, or had a heart attack, or maybe he was drunk or drugged.

So I took a good look at the younger man (in case I needed to give the police a description), then went over to help the man on the ground. I got close to him (but far enough away so that if he was crazy or tried to attack me I could get away), and asked if he was okay.

He said he was, but stayed sprawled on the ground.

He didn't look injured.
Or drunk.
Or drugged.
And he didn't look or sound crazy.

I asked him a few more times if he was all right, or needed help, but he assured me he was fine. Any further questions resulted in "don't go there".

So I turned and walked away (there wasn't really anything else I could do), but then after about a hunder yards I stepped behind a parked car where I could watch without being seen.

Another pedestrian came by, and walked past without stopping or saying anything.

A moment later a car came round the corner, pulled in, and one of the passengers got out to check up on the man. Basically, it looked like they got the same response as I did, and left shortly after.


To this day I have no idea what it was all about.

I wondered if maybe it was some sort of experiment to see how many people are willing to help a stranger in distress.

(My mum, when I told her, thought he might have been an epileptic, had a fit, and knew he would be alright after a bit of a rest).


As for motorists, I've just never seen a breakdown were anyone looked like they were actually in "trouble" (other than being broken down). Most were on motorways where there are emergancy telephones at the roadside, or cameras for keeping an eye on traffic flow, so they'd get help sooner or later, or were already being helped. If I saw someone who actually looked like they needed help, or had just crashed, I'd probably help, unless it somehow "felt bad" (in which case I'd call the police on my mobile).

(Just remebered I did witness a crash once, but it was not serious. Some idiot went round a corner too fast and hit a car waiting to turn right [ie across the flow of traffic, 'cos we drive on the left], and then the one behind went into him. (Not much damage caused to either). Then the idiot behind him changed lanes to avoid the pile-up (it was a dual carriageway), without looking to see if there was anyone there already (there was - me), and I had to go off the road to avoid hitting him. There was a petrol station just along from there, so I pulled it, informed the attendant, and then called the police to see if they wanted a report of what happened.

 

[buttrap]

We get slat rats here, stupid folks from LA that think you can do 70 in ice. last month one of then did the fiipper thing and I stoped to see if they where hurt. A fellow pulled in behind me in a 1 ton 4x4 and when we found out the idiot was OK he said well you look relaly stuck. damn good palace were you cant kill anyone..by...

 

[foghornl]

I used to, but I don't anymore.

Stopped to help out a woman w/kids & flat. I was on motorcycle. Took off my extra layers..helmet, coveralls, etc (November). Had her open trunk, I got spare/jack/lug wrench out. Changed tire, was putting stuff back in trunk. Hubby/boyfriend whatever pulled up, got out, and I heard something about "Get away from my woman, you greasy biker *^&^*&^&*" as I was getting whacked by a 2x4.

I didn't and still don't fit that description. When I was able to move again, found my MC turned over in the ditch. Took me a long time to wrestle my 650 Yamaha back up to paved surface.

 

[Ol' Badger]

I was heading to work on night and observed two Grits try'n to drag a fat girl into the woods near an intersection. I did my John Wayne imatation and all three ended up kicking my ???!
My new goal in life is to mind my own business.

 

[Tall Man]

Help me out here as I can't tell the difference between upstanding citizens and mass murderers.

Your point is valid. It serves to explain why folks like myself choose to "profile" others. That may not have been the intent of your comment, but it alludes to the practical outcome of things.

There is a field of statisical theory and methods called Bayesian Analysis. It postulates that one cannot reach a reasoned solution when prior, relevant experiences are intentionally withheld from analysis. In essence, it states that a person's prejudices (in the purest, unencumbered sense) are an absolutely essential component in the decision-making process.

Bayesian Analysis is also known as "probability inference". For those of you paying attention, that is the underlying thesis of this thread.

There are times, and this is true, when one absolutely can judge a book by its cover. That may not be the way things should be, but it's the way things are. The state may have granted you a CCW permit, but I do not have the luxury of running a background check in the next 10 seconds before our paths cross.

Your instinct (and mine) matters.

TM

 

[71Commander]

There are times, and this is true, when one absolutely can judge a book by its cover

You were doing pretty good at explaining your reasoning up until this statement.

Without the required interaction of the object of your apprehensions, your biases are just suppositions without any factual basis.

 

[444]

Right on Tall Man
People are so anxious to appear PC that they walk around at condition white. After all, the world is a nice fuzzy warm place full of so many nice people. Since Tall Man is the one deciding whether or not to stop to help, he can use any criteria he wants to. You have the right to look any way you want, just don't expect to get help alongside the road.

 

[Tall Man]

Thanks, 444.

And thanks, TennTucker, for giving my initial post a fair hearing.

Without the required interaction of the object of your apprehensions, your biases are just suppositions without any factual basis.

I'm afraid I have to take exception to that particular statement.

If one subscribes to the tenets of Bayesian Analysis - and it should be obvious that I do - then I must vigorously represent my biases as suppositions that are wholly based in fact. That's why my methods have the odometer readings that they do. They have served me well, although nothing is 100% accurate. Indeed, a few entries in my Book of Experience contain the header "Humility".

And where is it written that interaction with the object of my apprehensions is required? What happened to freewill?

Choosing to forgo social intercourse with someone with whom I have no desire to meet does not reduce either the volume or relevance of my experiences. It simply doesn't add to them.

TM