Have you ever stopped to help someone on the road??

I usually do not pull over the side of the highway since during the day it is kinda dangerous, and at night its super sketchy. I would only do so if it was very cold or hot and the person may be in danger.

However, I have helped people when I see them have trouble when on local streets. Usually its just a flat. Since I'm in college I always help other people on campus since I know usually thats a safe environment. I have given people countless jump starts and helped them change a lot of flats.
 
Viper007Bond said:
It's kinda dangerous to pull over on the side of the freeway, so I don't know anyone that'll do it usually. Plus with AAA just a phone call away...
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Many of the freeway shoulders here are over 2-lanes wide. I just pull through the drainage ditch and up the other side.
 
I have given more emergency jump starts than I can count. Helped with a few flat tires, diagnosing a couple of breakdowns here and there.

My personal favorite was back when I had my old Saturn, I was heading home through the busy area of my town (The cops in my town are known for being asshats, and it has been that way since the decades preceding my birth) and I see a similar Saturn beside the road. Person sitting there, no lights. Nothing.

I turn around, talking to the driver revealed this unsurprising story. It's a light rain. The girl gets pulled over. Officer asks her to shut the car off. She explains that the battery isn't charging and it won't start up again. Cop makes her shut it off. Gives her a ticket/warning/whatever, sees that she can't get the car going again, and takes off, leaving her beside the road.

Right as I finish hooking up the jumper cables, the cop then pulls back up and just sits there watching us, and then when he sees me remove the jumper cables he just drives off again. :rolleyes:

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There was another time that I was driving in my Versa a few weeks back on my way back to the college in the early afternoon. As I round a corner and approach an uphill stop sign, I see an old two-door VW Fox that obviously is a manual, and the driver can't get the thing going without stalling. I pull beside him, ask if he wants help getting it out of the stop sign. He refuses. I drive out of sight and wait to see if he makes it. Five minutes later, ten cars pass and none are him. So, I turn around, and he's in the same spot, still stalling out. This time I get out, walk right up and say "Hey man, want me to at least move it out of the stop sign? It will make getting going a lot less stressful." He agrees. I find out his problem. The old VW shifter slots very easily into third.

I get the thing out of the stop sign, explain what his problem was, show him the distinct feel of slotting the shifter into first. He gets in, and takes off just fine.
 
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JipJopJones said:
I try to when I can.

I haven't seen anything lately though.
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This.

One of the times I helped someone it was a few years ago, it was middle afternoon, I was driving in a countryside road and I saw this blonde girl parked on the side of the road with the trunk opened and the rear left tire completely void of air, first thing that came to my mind was flat tire and it really was. I parked in front of her car, asked her if she need any help, she said so and I helped her changing the tire.

Also, last week I helped this guy pull over his Chrysler Voyager into a parking place after stalling, he was in a one-way street with lots of cars behind waiting for him to pull the van by himself, noone came out of their car to help the guy and everyone had their hands on the horns like mad. Stupid assholes. I helped the guy by pulling the van to a parking place a few meters ahead of the spot where the van broke and all the other assholes just drove by.
 
Bubs360 said:
I have given more emergency jump starts than I can count. Helped with a few flat tires, diagnosing a couple of breakdowns here and there.
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Oh, I completely forgot about jump starts. I haven't done a ton, just because I haven't run into that many people needing them, but I've done my share. Most of them were done when I still drove my '94 MX-5. I don't know how many people assumed I was "that dumb chick" when I'd pull the back of my car to the front of theirs. But in the NA, the battery's in the trunk, as were my jumper cables. :)
 
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Bubs360 said:
My personal favorite was back when I had my old Saturn, I was heading home through the busy area of my town (The cops in my town are known for being asshats, and it has been that way since the decades preceding my birth) and I see a similar Saturn beside the road. Person sitting there, no lights. Nothing.

I turn around, talking to the driver revealed this unsurprising story. It's a light rain. The girl gets pulled over. Officer asks her to shut the car off. She explains that the battery isn't charging and it won't start up again. Cop makes her shut it off. Gives her a ticket/warning/whatever, sees that she can't get the car going again, and takes off, leaving her beside the road.

Right as I finish hooking up the jumper cables, the cop then pulls back up and just sits there watching us, and then when he sees me remove the jumper cables he just drives off again. :rolleyes:
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There's cops like those of your town everywhere, look what happened here in Portugal:


The policeman did nothing to help the man in the black Opel Corsa to reverse back from the freeway he mistakenly entered in wrong way.
 
I have given a few jump starts in my life and also towed two cars. As for stopping to help someone, I can only remember one incident. I drove into a town with fresh snow one day to pick someone up, and I stopped at the end of a car queue on a slope. Only then I noticed the reason for the queue: there was a guy in a 5-series BMW not going anywhere, and his petite girlfriend/partner/wife desperately trying to push the car. So I got out and joined her, and together we got the car moving. She then looked at my BMW and asked how I would get going now since I had stopped, and I told her that I would, which I did ... just.

Funnily I got stuck in a heap of snow only minutes later, and I had a nameless helper with a shovel and some sand who got me going again. He also refused to accept any kind of compensation for his help, so whoever you were: thank you again! :)

Generally I would help pretty much everyone on the road, because I would be extremely happy if someone would do the same for me. I kind of 'pay in advance' with that if you will.
 
I do so quite often. Done everything from fixing a Harley's ignition at the side of the road to pushing a disabled Taurus with my Crown Vic (in the worst, highest crime part of Dallas, no less.)

Generally not too worried about my safety whilst doing so, most of you know why. :D
 
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I have pulled countless people out of ditches and drifts of snow the last winters, and all people but one have been really thankful. Helped people with minor engine problems along the road too, the latest was a old lady in a mint-condition Opel Kadett from the early seventies. A clip that holds the clutch cable in place (also works as a adjustment) had broken and stranded her a few km from home. A small hose clamp and 5 minutes of time and the old Opel had clutch again. Hemihead's Road Assistance, how can i be of service?
 
I am a member of CERT, so I've had a lot of training to do first aid. You never know when someone might need to call for help and just can't. Or it's just something to incredibly easy to fix. (out of gas, engine dies after running through water, ect.)

Most of the time I stop and offer, a lot of people have already called and are just waiting.

It's sad really to see the look of surprise I still get when they realize someone has actually stopped to help...
 
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some years ago, i was driving back home from the barber shop after getting my hair did. i decided to take the mountain road to avoid the highway traffic. i was several car lengths behind a Toyota Tacoma when i noticed some white off the right side of the road hidden in the brush. i took me a moment to figure out what it was, but i decided to turn around to see what it was. i also noticed the Toyota in front of me do the same thing and started to follow me to the object, so i knew i wasn't seeing things.

sure enough, when we both got there, a Dodge Caravan was down the bottom of the road. it hadn't flipped, but the driver of the van told me that an animal across the road and lost control of the vehicle and ended up on the bushes and him and his buddy have been trying to get the van out for some time. the Tacoma driver and i were there for awhile but me manage to get the van out the ditch.
 
Blind_Io said:
Many of the freeway shoulders here are over 2-lanes wide. I just pull through the drainage ditch and up the other side.
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Most here are barely the width of a car, a little wider out in rural areas but the road bed is always raised, so it drops right off after the pavement. Not safe.
 
When that happens I just put it in 4WD and pull completely off the roadway where it is safer. I do it all the time on highways with very narrow shoulders.
 
equiraptor said:
Oh, I completely forgot about jump starts. I haven't done a ton, just because I haven't run into that many people needing them, but I've done my share. Most of them were done when I still drove my '94 MX-5. I don't know how many people assumed I was "that dumb chick" when I'd pull the back of my car to the front of theirs. But in the NA, the battery's in the trunk, as were my jumper cables. :)
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No contact points under the hood? Iirc E36s have them. Even my car has them, because the battery is hidden under the interior fan's dust and pollen filter housing.
 
I remember wanting to help this guy in a pick-up I saw oil coming out from the bottom of his car not sure if its from the transmission or engine. I wanted to warm him but didn't get the chance because he just kept driving and I had to go on another way. (there was not much traffic/stops) That probably cost him a lot of money.
 
Adunaphel said:
No contact points under the hood? Iirc E36s have them. Even my car has them, because the battery is hidden under the interior fan's dust and pollen filter housing.
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I don't remember any, but the jumper cables are in the trunk and the battery in the trunk is easy to get to, so why bother opening two things when I can open one? The look of, "Idiot girl," followed by, "Oh... she... actually knows something..." was pretty enjoyable, too. :)
 
I was driving through town, trying to kill some time before I could head to my college and use the shop to change out my summer wheels to my winter wheels and change the oil. On my way through, I drove up behind a Toyota Camry riding on the rim on the rear left side.

They pulled into a parking lot. I drove a little ways down the street, then thought about it and turned around. I pull up just as the older woman is surveying the damage. Right as she pulls out her phone to call for help, I offer to change out her tire. Full size spares are nice.

She goes in to the building for her appointment, I take care of the tire and head inside to let her know. She quickly slaps a $10 bill in my hand and thanks me profusely for "saving her day". I was hoping for an opportunity to refuse the cash but it was already in my hand, so I decided to just appreciate the thanks.

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Not yet. I have been helped a few times myself though.

One time, my dad and I had returned to the long term car park at the airport after a few days down in Melbourne. When we left the car, it was very early morning, just before dawn, and I didn't notice the lights were still on when I locked it. Fast forward 3 days, we get to our car and find the battery completely drained from the headlights being on. No lights or the dash would turn on. Obviously the engine would not crank, so we tried push starting it down the 2 levels of carpark. That failed. Wasn't even enough juice left to supply spark.
We finally get it out of the carpark and its sitting outside, when a middle aged woman - on her own - pulls up beside us and offers to jump start our car (we had jump leads).
I found it extremely unusual that a woman (driving on her own) would stop and help 2 guys, but on the plus side, we could get home and didn't have to call racq.

I have helped jump start a decent number of cars around the Auto store I used to work at. I used my own car(battery), but after a few failed attempts with one guy, started using a special jump battery that you can carry around.

I've towed 2 cars, but they were just up the street - not long drives.

I have definitely lost count of the number of times I have push started my own - or someones elses car. :lol:
 
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