Helping broken down motorist

[ianrauk]

I was filtering a whole line of traffic this morning and went to turn left when noticed a car stopped on the turn with a lady stood by the car.
I asked if she needed help. She said the car had stalled and won't move and had been there 20 minutes and no one had offered to help, even though there was a traffic jam a couple of feet away. I told her to get in and I will push to the side. She was a little upset and a bit flustered. I had to ask her to take the handbrake off then put into neutral. Just as I started to push the car another chap came along to help. We started to push and for some reason she steered right just as a van and trailer decided to get by, the trailer catching her offside bumper quite badly. The van didn't even stop, probs didn't even notice.

We got the car to the kerb and told I told the chap that she had been there 20 minutes waiting for help. He was aghast and said, "Your not even a car driver are ya?"

It really is unbelievable that people are happy to sit in a traffic jam just watching another unfortunate soul in trouble and not lifting a finger to help.

 

[chillyuk]

She is lucky you came along and did the kind thing. Don't be too down on motorists though, I wonder how many cyclists passed he during her 20 minutes, or pedestrians.

 

[Kirstie]

I've been in this situation myself. I had a flat tyre outside a pub in Cannock and the pub was full of people. The people in the pub sat and watched me jack up the car, take the tyre off (which took a while as the wheel nuts were really tight), put the spare on, do up the wheel nuts again, un-jack the car and put the knackered tyre in the boot. I'd never had to do that before. Just after I'd finished, I walked into the pub to ask to wash my hands, as I was covered in dirt, when some bloke walked up to me and asked me if I needed any help, having watched me do the whole thing. If nobody had asked I wouldn't have minded, but it's the fact that he asked just having watched me change a tyre which was annoying.

 

[Sara_H]

They're not all bad!


Helpful Motorist!

 

[tyred]

It is something I've increasingly observed as I've grown older. When I was a kid in the 1980s, if someone's car broke down, other people stopped to help. Now the modern day thing seems to be to sit in your own car and blow your horn, flash your lights and rev your engine. I'm not sure what that's supposed to achieve. I will always try to help someone if I can.

 

[redjedi]

I saw someone trying to push a car a couple of weeks ago. Stuck on a small roundabout with traffic building just waiting for them to get out of the way.

I really wanted to help but as I was wearing my road shoes with Look cleats I decided I would be more than useless at trying to push a car

 

[gary r]

to be fair its not always easy to stop and help whilst driving a car,you cause more congestion leaving your car at the side of the road to help.Ive stopped on my bike and helped drivers change punctured wheels on more than one occcasion.they have all replied with the same comment "would you like me to give you a lift home"

 

[ianrauk]

I saw someone trying to push a car a couple of weeks ago. Stuck on a small roundabout with traffic building just waiting for them to get out of the way.

I really wanted to help but as I was wearing my road shoes with Look cleats I decided I would be more than useless at trying to push a car

Even though I have mtb spd's. I did have to think as they are not that great when it comes to grip on tarmac.. especially when trying to push a car..but probs a little better the Looks.

 

[ianrauk]

to be fair its not always easy to stop and help whilst driving a car,you cause more congestion leaving your car at the side of the road to help.Ive stopped on my bike and helped drivers change punctured wheels on more than one occcasion.they have all replied with the same comment "would you like me to give you a lift home"

At this junction it would be very easy to stop...any one could have just turned in as they crawled passed.

 

[gary r]

I was filtering a whole line of traffic this morning and went to turn left when noticed a car stopped on the turn with a lady stood by the car.

How good looking was she??Pretty women never wait long before help arrives!!!!

 

[frank9755]

How good looking was she??Pretty women never wait long before help arrives!!!!

^^^ Careful!

 

[ohnovino]

Sounds like the Bystander Effect.

If only a few cars go past, they'll stop. But if there's a lot of traffic, everyone thinks "someone else will do something", and nobody does.

Last time I gave a car a push start it was downhill, and the car still didn't work, which then meant pushing it all the way back up the hill. It took about 24 hours before I could stand up straight again!

 

[beanzontoast]

We usually stop for motorists in trouble. The last time was just after Christmas and the guy driving the car that had stopped at a junction turned out to be someone I met when I was training 30+ years ago.

The problem with stopping when you have a bike is that you have to find somewhere to lock your bike up before you can go and help!

 

[2Loose]

But it's 2011 - it is someone elses problem, nuffin to do wiv me.

Well done for being a proper gent and helping, Ian.

 

[John the Monkey]

It really is unbelievable that people are happy to sit in a traffic jam just watching another unfortunate soul in trouble and not lifting a finger to help.

Happens loads. Helped one old chap push his car out of the rt hand lane leading to a roundabout as drivers drove past ignoring him. (I was heading in the other direction, but it was obvious no motorist heading the same way was going to stop - and they didn't to let me cross the road to him, or give us clearway to the side of the road when we were pushing the car). Helped a lady move her car out of a junction in East Didsbury, helped a young lad catch his escaped dog - all with motorists swerving around the "obstruction", or sitting watching it happen.

From a personal point of view, when I was knocked to the ground by a close overtake in the '90s, about 5 cars went past my prone form before I got my breath back and limped home.

I'm sure they're nice people out of their cars, but I'd not want to find myself needing their help on the UK's roads, personally.