Would You Have Stopped?

Nebraska huh. I was stuck for 3 hours in Omaha trying to get a jump for my car without having to call a tow truck. Didn't work, I was in tears, (stuck downtown in a parking garage alone. NO ONE would jump me. I asked at least 15 people. I looked harmless enough, they just didn't want to bother. Only time I've never gotten a jump with a dead battery. Cost me 40.00 btw once I tracked down a tow company though he did check over the car for me for 'free'. I'm still irked I had to spend that cash. It was my food money for the next 3 weeks.

Heather

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I'm sure glad I live where I do. It's gotta be hell to live such paranoid lives. Heck around here, it would have looked like a convention, there'd be so many rigs there, everyone would have had to stop, because the road would be blocked.

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Would I have stopped? Like everyone has said depends. I always travel with my dogs in the car, don't get near me or the car. Being a woman, It would really depend. I don't have a cell phone. But then I can't jump a car any more. These newer cars? But then I did pick up a mom and her 3 kids, and took them to the nearest phone I could find. Stayed with them until help arrived. But it all depends. We live in a town of 300. But this was out on the highway going to the "Big City" of 600. LOL . I sure wish we could just stop and help out. But not anymore. I remember a time. that I would have and did stop to help out.

Yes, I probably would have stopped in our area even though I'm a little 120 pound grandma because generally this is a safe area. I won't stop for hitch-hikers on the main roads though. Last winter I slid into a ditch on our little gravel road. I was alone, but not too concerned because I was only about 2 miles from home and could have walked home if I had to, but I got out and looked in the trunk for something to dig into the ice so my tires could get grip. Along comes an SUV with two women in it, I've seen these ladies and know where they live. I thought "good, they might have a shovel or something." Nope, those two drove right past me and kept going! Now I know that I don't look dangerous, so I just can't explain what their problem was. I thought everyone back here would stop. But I managed to dig myself out anyway.

It depends .... I would stop if I was with DH or by myself and you didn't set off my creepy serial killer radar. But if I'm with my son, THe most I will do is offer you the use of my cell phone, or call the Sherriff or AAA for you. I may be willing to risk my life, but no way on earth am I risking my kid's life.

That being said, pre-kid, DH and I have driven a woman who was stranded at Nashville Airport during a snow storm all the way to Oak Grove, KY (She stopped and asked DH for help because he had a military hair cut), we have changed tires on the side of the road for porr stranded moms, and once I even pulled over and did the Heimlick on a kid who choked on piece of hard candy in the back of Mom and Dad's minivan.

Oh, and for those of you who can't manage to get a jump start, I am proud to say that I have jumped more people with my little jeep cherokee sport then I can count, and I'm absolutely amazed at how many people don't carry jumper cables in the back of their cars. I was raised that driving off in a a car without jumper cables, a spare tire, extra water and anti freeze is like running out of the house naked. You are just asking for trouble.

Nikki

I would stop if I knew you or might stop if you looked harmless to me but not if I was alone. We have helped out people at times, changed tires for an elderly couple, jumped batteries etc. But things have changed here. We have to be very careful. Until a few weeks ago we had an early morning paper route. One rainy, cold morning at about 4:30 am we were driving on a very isolated dirt road thru the forest when we came on a young man laying in the middle of the road. We drove up close to him but things looked suspicious. His car had been parked on the side of the road and looked normal. He picked up his head, looked at us then dropped it back down. Something just didn't look right to DH so we called 9-1-1 and reported it. They asked us what was wrong with him but we couldn't answer as we hadn't been over to check him out. We stayed there until we heard the sirens coming up the road behind us then we left. We never heard what happened after we left but there had been much trouble involving teens in that area so we didn't get out of the van. Last winter a man my DH knows broke down on the road but it was too busy a place for us to stop. Our van was giving us trouble and we couldn't jump him or anything so we did the next best thing. We stopped at his house, got his family up and his son went out to rescue him. He got there within 15 minutes of the time we passed him on the road. I hope that his son told him that it was us who stopped to get him help! I don't want him thinking that we just didn't care.

I would have asked how much you wanted for the cables.

I always wondered about this. Until when I was living in the country my car broke down in the middle of the road. It had automatic steering and I could not push it up into a nearby driveway. Cars were passing me left and right. I was very frustrated and late for work. Well after I finally managed to get the car off the main road I walked what seemed like a mile up a driveway to a home. I knocked and no one answered so I headed back to my car. After about 10 minutes this truck pulled up and the driver asked me if I needed any help. I was vary leary but I needed the help. He said I could use his phone and told me to get into his truck. I was still worrying thinking this is the last anyone will ever see me. He said he had seen me walk up the driveway and he knew no one was home because he was a neighbor. He drove to this barn with a loft in it and said to follow him upstairs. Still worried, I did. He opened the front door and pointed in towards the kitchen and said the phone is right there. After which he stood outside. I guess he sensed my fear. Then after I called for a ride he drove me back to my car and looked under the hood. He said he didn't know much about cars but he fiddled with this and that. He then began telling me his life story which is probably the help he needed that day. Then he waited until my ride arrived. I thanked him and wished him a good day. So there are still gentlemen in this crazy world of ours.

Most people would rather not "get involved" ... I'm not 'most people' and, yeah, I would have stopped.

A couple years ago ...
Small town (population about 500) a woman had a transmission problem with her vehicle. She couldn't get it to shift into any gear. She was stuck at one of the Stop signs of the four-way intersection in the center of town. We were right behind her ... traffic was piling up. Well, nobody attempted to help her ... but I got out of our truck (my aunt was driving) and helped this woman push her vehicle out of the road.
My aunt told me I was crazy ... not for helping the woman, but because I was recovering from two strokes and a major heart attack three months prior to that!

In my town; I would have stopped. But I have traveled across country and then the criteria was different...if I thought I could kick your butt I would stop and help. If I thought you could it would be even, I'd stop and offer my cell phone to call a tow truck. If it looked like I'd lose; I wouldn't stop...
Just a thought though...get AAA. I renew every year just so that way I know someone has to come out and jump start the car or tow it...Lord knows the cars don't care if you have money in your pocket before they decide to break down!

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Iris
The Last Straw (aka Helinbak Farm)
Once a Marine; always a Marine

I wouldn't have stopped...the first time. I would have driven past, gone about a mile, and then turned around and come back.

I can't stand seeing someone in distress. My friends think I'll be found murdered someday. Oh, well.

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All life requires death to support itself. The key is to have an abiding respect for the deaths that support you. --- Mark T. Sullivan

Around here of course I do. If you are along side the road around here practically every car will stop. I stopped to help somone with a battery problem back a few weeks ago when it was so hot. By the time we got her going there were 2 other pick-ups there with me. Heck I brought folks home to my house to spend the night during an during an ice storm before when they couldn't get home.

When I get to more urban areas I modify my behavior accordingly. I will usually stop but if for some reason I don't I call law enforcement to tell them where the vehicle is. About the most dangerous thing I do is to occasionally pick up hitch hikers. I have quick evaluation critera I use and I've never had a problem. I'm also 6'7" around 290 and I'm usually armed when legal. Picking up hitch hikers is not something I would reccomend but for me I consider it a calculated risk.

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Respect The Cactus!

since the car was not visible, and you were waving cables...I would probably think you were trying to hock the cables and I would not have stopped...I may have waved like the others did, perhaps wondering about your sanity trying to sell jumper cables on a busy highway.

That said...if I saw the car disabled I would have stopped. I would not have felt you were a threat since there is generally a lot of traffic on major highways.

Maybe a sign saying: dead battery need a jump, along with the waving cables would have helped.

I am sorry for the troubled start your day gave you, but just think if not for the car troubles you may have run in to worse troubles down the road!

I have just reregistered after two years, however I have been reading every day on this site. When we were missionaries in Mexico we became stranded in our ancient motorhome alongside a highway in the middle of nowhere. My husband took a lawnchair and sat by the road with the cables in his hands. No one stopped. I then told him to get inside and I walked out with our 9 month old baby and waved the cables at the first car. He immediately stopped and jumped us. Shortly afterwards it died again and we repeated the same thing. The first one coming by was a big rig and he stopped and jumped us. We always said that we would rather break down in rural Mexico than in the U.S. Especially if we have an American made car or pickup.

If you were a girl, sure. But a guy? I would have asked if you needed a phone, but I usually have my kids with me, no way am I putting them at risk. Guys are the ones that do most crimes, I am not gettin in that. I never pick up guys around here, I live off of Route 1 in Maine, tons of out of towners here.
I do have a story, I was 15 living in Acton, Mass, and had to get to summer school, but my bike broke. I hitched the whole week, almost no body gave me rides. Little town roads, I am a young girl, etc. Whatever. This was 1984, OK? Somethings are just unexplainable.
Whenever I needed a jump in Atlanta in the early 90's, I would block people off and talk to them. You gotta be pushy in that town.

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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

I usually am alone or have my son with me. We live in a fairly rural area. I will not pick up hitchhikers, but if I see someone broken down or walking, I'll generally pull up and ask them if they need help. I won't get out of the car but I will roll my window down. I have been stranded and helped too many times not to do the same. If it weren't for people helping me along the way, I would have surely gotten hurt worse than I ever will by helping someone.

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Don't think of it as being outnumbered, think of it as a wide target
selection.

It's different if you're in a small town. Since I live outside of D.C., I'm always on the defensive. I don't stop for anyone, even if it's a granny. Not too long ago here, a car with two teenagers broke down near a development. The teenagers went up and knocked on a door asking for help. The person inside knew enough not to open the door, but instead told them through the door that he would call a tow truck for them. When he came back from making the call, the teenagers and the car was gone. Later that day, the teenagers again "broke down." They walked about a 1/2 mile to someone else's house. The person inside the house opened the door and one of the teenagers shot him dead on the spot, then killed his wife.

It's stories like this and all of the numerous stories of rapes and murders I've heard that make me so leery of stopping for people, especially if you live by a big city. Again, I think it's different if you live in a small town where everyone pretty much knows each other.

I suppose I should have added I am 60 year old guy with gray hair - not much of a threat. I was also in my own front yard, and the car was in the driveway. I could have called AAA, but was hoping not to have to wait the hour when I could jump it in a minute - which I eventually did when I located a neighbor.

I was just curious if waving those jumper cables would have caused anyone to stop and help.

I go by my gut feelings. Even then, I'm leery and cautious. If I passed your place every day and had seen you around the property (thereby knowing you actually lived there), I'd have probably stopped, even tho I'm a female.

On my way to church one day I saw an older couple on the side of the highway (opposite side of the highway). I debated and immediately said a little prayer and then turned around at the first chance and headed back. I stuck my car keys in one pocket and my cell phone in the other and walked up toward their car. Both were out of their car and I started talking to them long before I reached them; asked if they were in trouble. They said they were fine; but they were from out of state and were a little lost, on their way to their son's home. I let them use my cellphone to call him.

Afterwards, the man said "Young lady, may I ask why you stopped, being female and all alone?" I said "Well, I said a prayer and felt the Lord was saying it was safe... so I took the chance." He smiled and said "I'm really happy you did, but you be careful about stopping for people!"

On another note, many of you said things like "Around here... we'd always stop..." but your profile doesn't say which state you live in. I think it'd be interesting to at least know the states you're all from.

Yeah, I would have stopped. The other day I got stranded in a place that had a population of about 3 (and they were related) and had to walk 6 mi to the nearest gas station, and it was about 300 degrees out with 100% humidity. Btw, you don't realize how many ants live on the side of the road! Right before I got to the station, a state trooper finally stopped...the "locals" would just honk at me! Go figure... Anyway, come to find out, its a really big deal for the troopers to help/pick up a female. He did take me back to the truck though, thankfully.

I've stopped countless times here, especially for women. It really depends on what a man looks like and how I feel about him and how close they are to help. I usually do stop if I'm driving the dually since men tend to think if a woman drives a big truck, she's got big weapons.

If I'm away from home I usually don't stop. If I'm on the interstate I'll call the troopers for them. It really depends on the circumstances. I'm on the road so much that if I stopped for everyone, I'd never get through my day. (last week we put 2000 miles on the trucks...and that was a typical week)

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