Helping potentially stranded people.

[Royd]

It's ok to show love to those who would do you harm....At 60 mph, with your windows rolled up.

 

[Mattemma]

I would not stop. As others have said it is likely they have a phone. I insist on having a phone as well,because not everyone who stops will be there to HELP you. Men can and do get attacked and disappear as well.Shoot, I read of a young man who was on the phone with his parents when the line went dead.He was never found.A weapon and a gun are a must.

 

[groundpecker]

I would only stop for someone that is elderly or if i know them. Most people have cell phones now and can call for help. If you are female, i would suggest not stopping at all.

 

[turney31]

I used to stop everytime, but having read many true crime books and watched many true crime/forensics shows on tv have changed that some. My DH and I together will stop still. I will stop for women, children and elderly. Although I was coming home not too long ago and saw a young man walking on the side of the road wearing a backpack. It was as if I heard an audible command to stop. I obeyed and met a wonderful young man. He was from out of State heading to Houston to start a new job. I took James to lunch. I reminded him to call his Momma and let her know he was OK. and he was on his way. I enjoyed being a part of his journey. My day was blessed because I stopped. He was a good kid...... But I was packing!

 

[sourland]

In the world that I grew up in stopping to help, hitch hiking, and picking up hitch hikers were accepted practices.

In today's world common sense dictates otherwise. Sad but true. As others have mentioned call 911 and notify the police.

 

[BusyBlonde]

I have been on both sides of this.

I was riding home from work one day on my motorcycle. Suddenly, my oil light came on, and when I pulled off onto an area on the shoulder I saw an oil trail behind me. One of my lines had ruptured. It was getting dark (about 9 pm in the summer), and my cell phone was nearly dead. I called my husband (who wasn't able to help me that evening), then called AAA. My bike had a Voyager Kit (think 'training wheels'), so it could actually be put on a roll-back and didn't need a special truck. Unfortunately, the first dispatcher I had talked to neglected to pass along that information. It was the 4th time I called when I got a different person, who finally got a truck sent out to me.

I was there until 3 AM. By myself, on a lonely stretch of road. No one - not even other bikers that went by - stopped. Really made me feel sorry for the state we've come to, where no one will even offer to help.

I always stop for a lone bike that's stopped on the side of the road.

There was a woman whose car stalled at a light a little before my 'adventure'. I was on my bike, and while people were passing her and honking at her, I pulled up behind her. She had a pretty small car. I asked if she needed help, and she said her husband was on the way - she was just upset that people were so impatient. I offered to help her get the car to the shoulder. Once we went to try to push her car, a car full of young adults pulled over and helped us get it off the road.

If I am by myself, and I see someone that looks like they're having car trouble, I will pull over and open the window a little bit and ask if I can call help for them. I won't open the window enough for them to get an arm in, and I leave the car in drive - but I do offer. I know what it's like when you feel stranded and no one wants to help.

 

[bakerjw]

Many years ago when I lived in Peoria Illinois I worked for a freight company and was driving home on a very cold evening down Caterpillar Trail. It was around zero degrees and the wind was blowing out of the North East across the Lower Peoria Lake. As I drove my transmission made a thunk sound and I lost all power to the wheels. This was before cell phones so I took off walking the 3 miles to East Peoria. I was bundled up because breaking freight on a dock is cold work and I also had a beard and bushy hair which gave me a scruffy look. I was cold but not in immediate danger of freezing to death. A little while after I was walking a car pulled over ahead of me and I went up to see what was up. It was a younger girl offering me a ride and to say that she was gorgeous might be an understatement. I would not have offered myself a ride based on appearances. She gave me a ride into town and I called my dad for a ride home. My wife couldn't believe it because I did look scruffy. All in all I have to say that angels do exist and I met one that night.

BUT. you cannot be too careful. If I help someone now it is only when I am packing and I never offer assistance to people walking by the house even if they ask for it. I feel rotten for being that way but so many people will take note of what they see for a future unexpected visit.

 

[Yetti]

I drove a wrecker years ago and always was happy to help pull folks out of ditches when it snowed. I finally met someone undeserving of my help. last winter I passed a girl in a ford focus driving pizzas for a local Jet's pizza store. she had slid off the road into a frozen swamp. her car looked un hurt so I told my son we would drive back after we dropped our groceries and the wife off at the house. when we got there a couple people had stopped but no one had a pull strap. so said I did and started to hook the car up. the road was slick as heck so I had to take a couple pulls of it. my son stood by to watch for traffic. the owner of the car told my son as soon as I got her un stuck that "she hated Hummers." then he told me as we drove off ( that is what I drive). I thought to myself you sure know how to look a gift horse in the mouth. I debated going by her place of work and telling the owner what I thought of her but I haven't seen her since so I suspect she got what she deserved.

 

[gjensen]

Quote:
I have drove by and stopped. I tend to stop. It depends who you are and the situation, I guess. If I see someone on a cell phone and near an exit in the middle of the day, I tend not to. If I see a woman on the side of the road, especially at night I am going to stop. I have given people rides to the next exit etc. I have been told that I am asking for trouble, and maybe I am. If that is the case, so be it. I do not want my wife to though. I personally follow my gut.
When I was a kid (15?), I had someone drop me and my two younger brothers off at a nearby river. I saw clouds coming in, and decided to walk the boys home (a couple miles). A nasty storm blew in fast, and we got stranded in large hail, rain, and frequent lightening. I was carrying one boy, and trying to cover the other. I wanted to get cover under a tree, but they were getting struck by lightening. I tried to get them to a house I knew was up the road. I eventually did, but one of the things I remember most is the many people that drove by, and did not stop. I could have understood myself, because I was older (and larger), but these boys were six and eight. That was rediculous. Those kids were in a degree of danger and no-one stopped. That is cowardice. That storm was nasty.

 

[Stacykins]

Earlier this year I stopped for a motorcyclist. I'd seen him stopped at the side of the highway and thought nothing of it. But when I passed by on the return trip two hours later, he was still there. I stopped and asked if he needed help, and that I could call a friend with a truck to give him and his motorcycle a lift if need be. He definitely was appreciative, but was already waiting on a friend and a truck.

Another incident last winter, a man ran out of gas on the rural road. He and his small daughter were NOT dressed for the winter weather and were definitely from out of town. He asked if he could pay us for some gasoline, enough to get him to a gas station. We grabbed him a five gallon jug of gasoline and as he hiked back to his car, his daughter (I'd guess she was about four) warmed up inside and snuggled on our dogs. The man drove his car up to the house and returned the unused gasoline. He'd only taken about a gallon from the can, we were expecting him to use more! Obviously he wasn't a criminal casing our house since it has been nearly a year later and no break in, heh.

How many people give other people jump starts (I keep a set of jumper cables in my car as standard equipment)? I pulled into Menards, and noticed a gentlemen as I was walking in ask several people for a jump start, all who refused or blew him off. I stopped and asked him if he'd like me to pull my car up and give him a jump. He looked so relieved! He had jumper cables, so it wasn't like people were being asked to buy cables to give his truck a jump! It literally took two minutes to run back to my parked car, start it, drive up, hook up, and jump his truck.