Last night I stopped to help an older couple who's truck wouldn't start at the gas station (around 6:30pm). Turns out they were about quite a ways from home and had no idea who to contact in the area(different state, but I can't remember exactly where they were from).

Anyway, I looked at their truck for a bit and determined the starter was bad (couldn't even jump the sileniod). I called my friend that was the manager at the local autoparts store and told him I needed a starter now. He gladly kept the store open until we got there, dropped the core charge (I told him I would bring it to him in the morning) and got us the starter.

I towed the guy to my place and replaced the starter for him. When I was done the guys wife tells me they had been sitting at the gas station with the hood up for over an HOUR and nobody asked if then needed help, not even the gas station attendents. Not one person.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed helping them and I would do it again any day, but if someone would of stopped when they first had the problem (around 5:30), they could of gotten the truck to the local shop and had it fixed.

Everything worked out good and they were on they way by 8:30, but is it just me or have people just quit caring about anybody else when they need some help.

Sorry for ranting, but I was in their situation it would bug me if nobody stopped to help as I usually stop and at least offer people use of my cell phone to get help.

 

it seems to be a growing problem, most people won't take the time or effort to help anymore, or even ask if they need help. Been there myself a few too many times, and I try to help as I can...

 

I stope for women, and old people, or if it's dark and I can't tell who's in the car I'll stop just for good measure. but I usually leaave guys to their own devices. chances are I can't off more than he already has anyhow. I will pick a guy up if he's walking though and give him a ride. but yeah I don't think enough people stop either to help folks out either.

 

i'll stop depending on the person. a new car with a guy looks like he has money i'm not going to bother. he'll just have it towed back to the dealer. that's what you pay 40k for a car for. but a woman with kids in an old station wagon was overheating i went and got her some water. i mean what am i gonna do today that's more important than giving a hand to someone that really needs it. she didn't look like she had 400$ towing fee for breaking down on the highway.

 

I stop all the time to help people…

But, like a guy once told me, "It isn't the hitchhiker that is being picked up; it is who picks up the hitchhiker."

The world has changed…

 

People have become scared.

It is not that they don't want to help, but look back in the past.

How many people have been killed by trying to help someone? Have you picked up a hitchiker lately?


I stop to help sometimes. But I am very picky & stop by appearances. I stopped once in Jacksonville, FL to help a old lady change a tire. I even turned around in rush hour traffic just to help her.

The response she gave me was so vulgar, it really isn't worth repeating. I just simply said sorry I tried to help. Your old (vulgar word) can get out here and change your own (vulgar word) tire.
Then I drove away.

 

I am like parks911. I decide who I will help by the car they are driving, appearance, and the spot where the car is. I WILL NOT stop to help a 30 year old man out on a deserted road in the middle of the night. If he was at a gas station or if it was daytime it would be a diffrent story. I will almost always stop for women. I will NEVER pick up a hitchicker. You would do better asking me at a gas station for a ride if you know exactly where you are going (down the road dont cut it). Will also not give anybody a ride who is carrying any bags. I understand that it may not be courteous not to help people, but we have police here and that is in their job description and they are only a phone call away. You shouldnt be traveling with out a cell phone, and they have plenty pay phones here in which a 911 call is free.

 

i'll stop to help an elderly couple or so around here in Va Beach. But thats about all i will be helping. Va Beach is too big adn you hear of too many shootings and or rapings and kidnappings to even wanna stop anymore. Everytime i get in my truck i automatically lock the doors and windows. I carry a pocket knife in my wallet and I have one in the side of the door of my truck and car and in the middle console of my truck.. I dont take any chances with people being mugged in broad daylight just down the block from my house.

 

I can't count how often I've stopped- but we're in a relatively low violent crime area.

 

I can see people point about not stopping pending looks and situations, I will admit I follow allot of them (I don't usually stop with my kid in the truck). The thing that bugged me is I live in a smaller town, the couple was older, and they were at a gas station with their hood up (blocking the pump I might add) and nobody stopped for over an hour, not even the gas station attendent.

If anything, shouldn't the gas station attendent have enough sense (I know it is asking allot for some of them) to see how come the vehicle was blocking the pump for over an hour.

Maybe I am just old school (sounds like allot of guys here are), but my dad always taught it to me as "What would you want someone else to do if that was your mom or wife?"

 

People have AAA and cellphones.. but If I'm not late or needed to be somewhere and I saw a car with its hood up, I'd stop and offer a hand

 

If I saw an elderly couple with the hood up at the gas station, my assumption would be that the gas station people were already helping them.

As far as break downs on the highway, I've seen elderly and women broke down on the highway, been unable to stop in time, then circled back at the next exit to come back to them. It's been as much as 5 miles to come back. One of those times another guy had already pulled over to help.

I don't pick up hitchhikers. We just had a nice lady here killed by a hitchhiker about a month ago. Her family said she'd always pick up hitchhikers because it gave her a chance to tell them about Jesus. The last one just wanted her money and her car. Piece of crap.

Once, back in '92, right after I discharged from the Air Force, I broke down on the inside of an 8 lane freeway in San Diego County. I had the hood up and the flashers on. Nobody, including at least 6 police vehicles stopped to help me. I finally waited until traffic was thin (a long time in SoCal) and dashed across 4 lanes to the outside. I called the CHP on the emergency phone they have on the side of the highway and was chastized for not waiting for a policeman to stop and help me. She sounded a bit embarassed when I mentioned all the police that passed by without stopping.

 

It depends on the person and situation if I will stop and help. Seen to many horror stories to just stop at everyone.

 

Boy, do I know what you're talking about!

I used to have an MG that had a habit of leaving me stranded. One night it quit on me, so I went to the nearest house to ask if I could use their phone. Rather than let me in (I was wearing a white shirt and tie, so I looked like a chain-saw murderer ), they brought the phone to the door. However, the phone wouldn't quite reach, so they had to dial the number for me while I held the headset to my ear at the door jamb. After a few uncomfortable minutes I was able to get AAA and a tow. I politely thanked the people, but began muttering bad things about their lineage as soon as their door closed.

Crazy thing is, if I'd seen them broken down on the road, I'd have stopped in a heartbeat to help out. There have been many times when my big ol' toolbox and the jumper cables, or one of my jacks and tire tools have come in handy for somebody. Heck, that's one of the reasons why I carry all that stuff around!

I live in a little bitty farm town here in Kentucky, and most of the folks out here are more than willing to help out in any emergency. Some of us even carry around chain saws just to have them in case a thunderstorm blows a tree, or at least part of one, across the road. We can ususally get the road cleared up a long time before the county road crew can!

 

I'll never get out at night to help someone. I'll pull up side of them and crack the window and ask if they have already called someone or not. If not, I will if I have the cell with me or go to the nearest phone and call the police and inform them and hope they go out there. I used to stop all the time day or night, but the world has just gotten too crazy to trust anyone anymore. You might think that it looks safe, but I've read and seen on the news about having a girl or women sitting in the car looking like she needs help, only for the poor guy that stops to find that it's a ploy and a guy with a gun is down in the back seat. Elderly folks and women driving alone should always carry a cell phone. Any vehical, new or old is subject to break down.