Do you stop to Help..Or Not

[Ean Austral]

Just read about someone who got no help from passing cars for 24hrs..
We broke a timing belt in our D1 on the 31 dec 2000 on the great northern hwy, and after 5 hrs of no one stopping my wife and 2 daughters stood on the road to stop someone, they said they only stopped cause they seen the kids.
So my Question is Do You Stop..or Dont You Stop. if not Why?

[p38arover]

I do if I'm in the LH lane. It's a bit hard at 110km/h when, in traffic, one is in the RH lane of a 3-lane motorway.

But a 5 hour wait is appalling! What happened to RAC service? When my car stopped, I called the NRMA and they picked up the car and had us both home quick smart

How far from town was she? I can see that you are a lot further out in the sticks than I am.

[Jojo]

I usually stop. Unfortunately, with almost everyone having cell phones these days, most drivers tend to ignore stranded motorists, assuming they will manage to call for assistance themselves.

[Ean Austral]

I do if I'm in the LH lane. It's a bit hard at 110km/h when, in traffic, one is in the RH lane of a 3-lane motorway.

But a 5 hour wait is appalling! What happened to RAC service? When my car stopped, I called the NRMA and they picked up the car and had us both home quick smart

How far from town was she? I can see that you are a lot further out in the sticks than I am.

The story doesn't say but I assume it was remote area, when we broke down we were 80ks from the nearest roadhouse and there wasn't enough traffic to worry about holding anyone up or causing a crash.
The funny thing was 2 years later we got a flat tyre on the gibb river road and 3 cars stopped straight away, guess thats the difference with the 4x4 community.
Cheers Ean

[rockyroad]

I assess each situation individually but my golden rule is that if I have the kids on board and there's an adult male thats broken down then I dont stop. If its a female or a family then thats a different story.

If its a Landrover broken down then I will stop because lets face it we all know what it feels like to have our heads under the bonnet at the worst possible moment and I honestly believe Landrover drivers to be more trustworthy.

[JDNSW]

It depends on the location and circumstances, but generally stop, particularly as I live in an area where there is no phone coverage. I will not stop if I am in a real hurry or the location is not safe in the circumstances - remembering a recent case with multiple fatalities where a truck hit a car which was out of fuel plus the one that had stopped to help, with multiple fatalities.

Most recent cases I can think of was where I stopped for a couple south of Norseman who had no tyre changing gear (and a flat) - managed to change their wheel for them, and stopped for a Discovery with a smoking engine bay on the way to Cooma last year (it was a tow job). Other occasions included the farm ute on the way to town - they had just found their newly repaired spare was as flat as their back tyre.

John

[Blknight.aus]

assuming Im on the right side of the devider I at least slow down so that hand signals can be used to work out if they need me to stop or not.

The 4x4s in the puddle of empty beer cans and vehicles that show obvious signs of being potentially dangerous to stop for I dont stop for.

[p38arover]

and stopped for a Discovery with a smoking engine bay on the way to Cooma last year (it was a tow job).

I stopped for one on the way back. I was towing the caravan so had plenty of water on board.

It was no good. The Prof's Disco had blown ahead gasket. (I'm not sure what he did but I think he was involved with the awards ceremony).

[Bushie]

Last year when we were away we stopped to help a couple with 2 flats and a busted compressor, they had been there around (IIRC) about 18 hours, admittedly on the road out to Finke there isn't a lot of traffic but there (apparently) had been some.



Martyn

[weeds]

around town i normally don't unless they are making a big effort to stop me

although i was swayed to help two female tourists on fraser island with a flat battery in the hire car.......damn bikini's

[87County]

Stopped to offer help on two separate occasions to families on the OOdnadatta Track a few weeks back - both had broken back windows (it seemed from stones bouncing off their camper trailers)....

Interestingly, on each occasion they were travellers who had overtaken the County some ks earlier at a pretty good speed...... :o




Also noticed some other camper trailers had a sheet of shadecloth hung along the front (assume that it is to absorb the stone impact and prevent them bouncing back on the towing vehicle).....

[Redback]

Yes I stop, I have been in a situation where people have not stopped, a classic example was a couple in a Range Rover who drove past us on the Merty Merty Rd and waved, it was late afternoon:twisted::twisted:

1/2hr Later a family in a Cruiser stopped and offered to help, then drove to Merty Station and alerted the owner of our plight, who drove out to meet us and followed us back to the station, he then fixed the trailer for us, gave us a cuppa and we were on our way:BigThumb:

To the couple in the Rangie:2up:

Baz.

[stig0000]

i went to stop once, went to see wat was up and i swear they wanted me to go away,,,:mad: and that day i had my work tool box in the back, they realy wanted me to go,,, so bugger it,, unless they tell me to stop, cos 99% of people have mobiles , or its a landrover,, or out in the middle of no were

[BigJon]

I stopped for a sheila and her mum just a few days ago. They were only about 10 km north of Katherine and in the end there was nothing I could do, but they appreciated the moral support.

[ohleaky1]

AMate and i were travelling down the obi obi range and lost lights(low and high) , a cpl of cars drove straight past us until finally a guy stopped and said follow him , we did this till he sped up half way down the range and we lost site of him . We had a pretty slow and steady trip from there through to Kenilworth where we spotted mr.follow me's car sitting outside the pub, we decided to go in for a cpl of coldies and give him a mouthfull, his reply was he was thirsty ! so to cut a long story short i usually stop for most people , i am not mechanically minded but try to help in any way possible wether it be by ringing someone for them or giving them a ride.

[Shonky]

I don't when I'm in the city, unless there is an imminent danger and I can do something about it eg: push car to safety or tell dimwit mother to get her kids behind guard rail and not wandering near the traffic (:mad:).

I figure that in the metro area, there is phone coverage, the NRMA is close at hand, and there is a higher proportion of dishonest/dangerous people.

I stop for series Land Rovers or other classics, and I stop when out of the metro except in situations when:

a) my gut says "bad idea"
b) there is a group of males
c) it is dangerous to stop

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I assess each situation individually but my golden rule is that if I have the kids on board and there's an adult male thats broken down then I dont stop. If its a female or a family then thats a different story.Should I say that is such a sexist remark. You are assuming that all males have mechanical aptitude and that females do not!

People travelling in remote areas should go prepared, I say. I'm in the NRMA and have, phones plus VKS-737 on board and if it were really remote I'd also carry an EPIRB.

On a final note, one wonders what the stranded motorists and their car looked like! Were they ferrals and did the car look like it should be dumped?

BTW: Back in the 1970s, one Land Rover owner I knew was travelling in NT and came across a group of first Australians with a broken down car. The people had already affixed a tow rope and asked for a tow to the nearest station, to which he obliged. Several weeks later on a different road he came across the same group in the same situation, this time he decided to see if he could fix the problem. When he opened the bonnet, there was no engine.

Diana

[gromit]

The other side of the coin is so many people stopping to help you cannot get the problem fixed......
On the way to Cooma the Series 1 stopped. We tracked down an electrical problem fairly quickly but as I hot wired the coil my Father-in-law had to stand at the back of the car waving people by because they all wanted to stop and offer assistance.

Unusual to have so many Land Rovers in one place but thanks anyway to everyone who stopped to offer help, waved and tooted.


Colin

PS: That reminds me the coil still has some 'temporary' wiring, I must try and find where the missing volts are going........

[vnx205]

I assess each situation individually but my golden rule is that if I have the kids on board and there's an adult male thats broken down then I dont stop. If its a female or a family then thats a different story.
... ... ... .


Should I say that is such a sexist remark. You are assuming that all males have mechanical aptitude and that females do not!
.. ... ... ... ..
Diana

I didn't read it that way. I thought he meant that he would assess the danger involved in stopping, especially as he mentioned having his own kids on board. I would have thought (whether it is a valid assumption or not) that I would be more likely to be assaulted by a couple of rough looking males than a man with his wife and young kids.

I would generally stop unless I thought it dangerous. There could be a number of things that would make it potentially dangerous. Most of them have been covered by others.

[PhilipA]

Should I say that is such a sexist remark. You are assuming that all males have mechanical aptitude and that females do not!

How many females can lift and fit even a 205x16 at 25KG let alone a 235x85 on a split rim at 40Kg????????.Even some oldies like me but not as strong and virile as me would have trouble.

I stopped at every car I saw in trouble on the GRR, because I know there are no communications, although not one wanted help, from the 100 Toyo that got 100 metres onto the dirt before his first flat, to the FJ60 which had 3 punctures in 50Km.

However you sometimes wonder when you see an old FJ60 with 3/4 worn flotation tyres not getting the message after 3 punctures.

In more civilised areas I mostly assume that the RAC has been called unless they have a longing look or run out in the road or look to be a woman in trouble.
Regards Philip A

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Yeah Yeah Yeah I know and women shouldn't be in the Army cause they they would be doing their make-up when the enemy arrived or would be afraid they'd break their finger nails on the machine gun.

Suggesting that women can't lift big round things is ignoring all the women who drive semi-trailers - it's all sexist stereotyping stuff.

But it's all O.K. we were all socialised that way. I was merely pointing out the appearance of the comments.

Yes it is always right to assess the situation first and I did suggest the group in question may have looked like ferrals. But should they have sat for 24 hours on the side of the road even if they were ferrals, No.

[vnx205]

.... .... ...

Suggesting that women can't lift big round things is ignoring all the women who drive semi-trailers - it's all sexist stereotyping stuff.

... ... ....

I think this study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that there is some justification for PhilipA's comment.

SpringerLink - Journal Article (http://www.springerlink.com/content/jr2084844337kk82/)

The abstract of the article says:

Hand-grip strength has been identified as one limiting factor for manual lifting and carrying loads. To obtain epidemiologically relevant hand-grip strength data for pre-employment screening, we determined maximal isometric hand-grip strength in 1,654 healthy men and 533 healthy women aged 20–25 years. Moreover, to assess the potential margins for improvement in hand-grip strength of women by training, we studied 60 highly trained elite female athletes from sports known to require high hand-grip forces (judo, handball). Maximal isometric hand-grip force was recorded over 15 s using a handheld hand-grip ergometer. Biometric parameters included lean body mass (LBM) and hand dimensions. Mean maximal hand-grip strength showed the expected clear difference between men (541 N) and women (329 N). Less expected was the gender related distribution of hand-grip strength: 90% of females produced less force than 95% of males. Though female athletes were significantly stronger (444 N) than their untrained female counterparts, this value corresponded to only the 25th percentile of the male subjects. Hand-grip strength was linearly correlated with LBM. Furthermore, both relative hand-grip strength parameters (F max/body weight and F max/LBM) did not show any correlation to hand dimensions. The present findings show that the differences in hand-grip strength of men and women are larger than previously reported. An appreciable difference still remains when using lean body mass as reference. The results of female national elite athletes even indicate that the strength level attainable by extremely high training will rarely surpass the 50th percentile of untrained or not specifically trained men.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

So now you are saying that women do not have initiative or knowledge or a can-do attitude.

How many times have any of the blokes on this forum ever picked up a tyre of any size larger than a wheel barrow, with only the grip of one hand?
With the grip of two hands?
Buggar lifting, a woman would roll the tyre into position!
That whole article is about one parameter and when considering women V's men as complete individuals, it is as valid as the Nazi propaganda that suggested that Germans were Arian and the Russians sub-humans. What is the time differential between elite women athletes in running and swimming and the 50th percentile of un-trained males? Going by events like the Sydney City-to-Surf it would mean that the first women runners would arrive only after at least 50% of the men had finished. This is clearly untrue. :mad:

Just because you don't have the physical strength to do something doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it.

No one can torque up wheel nuts with their fingers, so does that mean that we don't change a tyre? No we use a wheel brace, if we are not as strong as the next person, then use a lever.

[PAT303]

I just returned from crossing Oz and stopped for an Irish guy in a cruiser with a busted water pump and I stopped on the way back because I had a snake in the engine bay and a bloke stopped to help,thats after he stopped laughing.I will always stop out here,it's to hot not to. Pat

[vnx205]

So now you are saying that women do not have initiative or knowledge or a can-do attitude.

No.

[F4Phantom]

I am the same as the previous poster, if I have kids on board I dont stop. If its a male in the broken down vehicle I dont stop (harden up), A female I do stop. I dont think its sexist at all. While I am sure many women are more than capable of working out their car problem, my life experiance on average says they would be more in need of help.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

So using celebrities only as examples: if it were Mr Bean broken down at the side of the road, "you" (sic) wouldn't stop. But if it were Bronwyn Bishop or Rosie O'Donnell "you" would?

I can fully understand the bit about the kids in the car, although if teaching by example is true, your children are learning not to stop for anyone.

I love debates like this one! :)

"you" in this example is not directed at anyone in particular but at the potential good Samaritan!

[Tank]

Years back I was driving to Mary Kathleen in Qld. (between Mt. Isa and Cloncurry) in my 69 Fairlane, somewhere between Bourke (NSW) and the Qld. border I stopped for 2 Aboriginal women, seemingly broken down. As I pulled up a half dozen or more of their male cousins who had been hiding in the grass surrounded the car. They kindly offered me a warm beer and insisted I get out of the car. So I politely (sort of) told them to get off the car, one of these fine specimens was laying on his ample guts on the bonnet, things started to get ugly so I took off with a new bonnet mascot grimly hanging onto one of my wiper blades. when I reached a speed of about 60klms/hr. I hit the brakes and my new found bonnet ornament slid off tearing off my bonnet badge with his crutch and stuffing my wiper blade, last I seen of him was him rolling into a deep ditch on the side of the road. So no I dont stop unless I am positive that the situation isn't dangerous and I assess the safety by talking to the person broken down through a partially open window and foot ready on the accelerator pedal, BTW I reported the encounter with this group in the next town, which happened to be in Qld., the copper said not to worry and dont stop again, Regards Frank.

[jddisco200tdi]

We stopped recently on the Stuart Hwy just south of Marla for 3 aboriginal males who's car was broken down.
I felt uncomfortable doing this but it was my wife that insisted we stop.

They had nothing in there car to get them going, so after unsuccessful jump starting we towed them in the wrong direction back to Marla with my tow strap.

I noted that they deliberately targeted 4wd's to stop as we are probably better prepared to deal with breakdowns. They were appreciative but seeing a half cooked Roo on the centre console was an eye opener.

John D - Defender 110 2.4

[subasurf]

If it's in a remote or rural area I always stop regardless, even if it means turning around and going back. I guess crossing the Canning Stock Route and other VERY remote tracks has taught me the importance of doing so.

If someone is stuck on the beach or what not and there are other vehicles around I usually let someone else pull them out. I'm happy to get out and help dig and push, but I don't like the idea of destroying my vehicle and/or recovery gear for someone else. I use to do it for everyone untill I had to pull a Navara Ute and boat out of the ocean in my Forester after the Navara sank up to it's axles.

The dick head cashed up chest thumping bogans who owned the Navara ended up being a pack of arseholes who were not the slightest bit grateful for me putting my Forester on the line for them (snatch recovery with no chassis is painful...expecially when the thing you're recovering is 3 times as heavy). Never again.

On the flip side, I've ALWAYS been so grateful to those who have helped me and I've always offered to pay them for the use of their recovery gear if we didn't use my own and always offered some beer. We once got stuck in the desert in Kalbarri for over 10 hours with a blown head gasket and NO one passing would help us until one guy pulled over, towed us to his place in town, put us up for the night and spent the weekend helping my Dad replace the head gasket so we could drive home. Now he's a lifelong friend.

[olbod]

Some years ago, I was travelling about 50 k NW of Innaminka'
I came across an elderly couple stuck in sand with an old sedan.
The old Bloke was sitting under a bush, he had a heart condition and they had been there for four days. They were mighty pleased to see me !!!
It was in November and pretty hot.
I reversed my course and followed them back to Innaminka to see they arrived okay. They decided to stay at the pub for a few days to rest up.

I am still looking for old Ludwig.
Cheers.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

If it's in a remote or rural area I always stop regardless, even if it means turning around and going back. I guess crossing the Canning Stock Route and other VERY remote tracks has taught me the importance of doing so.

If someone is stuck on the beach or what not and there are other vehicles around I usually let someone else pull them out. ....We used to be the first house on the road into a small fishing/holiday village on the south coast and we had a Land Rover usually parked out the front or in easy view of the road. Can not coun't the times when people, usually tourists who had been rock fishing using cars that shouldn't have been where they were (quite a few miles out of town), would knock on the door asking for/expecting a tow. These knocks at the door would come at all hours of the day and night including 2 or 3am.

At first we were happy to help them out but something less than half ever offered any cash for petrol etc and many never said thank you. In fact one even complained that the local service station owner had charged him $100 for the previous tow (a lot in those days), what the hell was this moron doing getting his wreck of a car stuck on a second occasion. These people seemed to think that because we owned a capable vehicle, we had a civic responsibility to assist stranded morons.

After one event where we retrieved a car from a huge bog he had created, we managed to snap a steering lever and landed in his bog hole. His comment was "sorry you seem to have got into a bit of a mess". then he drove away without so much as a thank you, or we'll let them know in town or offering one cent. We then required the local 6X6 crane truck and quite a few dollars to get us out.

After that event, it was always the cash up front, sufficient for a full tank of fuel in those days. No cash then the boggees were sent on their way. They could go to the service station, or the NRMA or anyone else to get themselves out it was not our responsibility and we didn't care. Some of these people were quite irate about our stance but by that time we had had enough of other people's troubles.

Diana

[Cap]

If I got my family with me, chances are I wont stop, especially in a populated area. However, if its in a remotish location, and theres a family there, then I will stop.

I have helped people out before, and whilst I have no problems with that, it usually involved some hours of your time (for example, if they ran out of fuel, I take them to the servo and back, make sure they got the vehicle running).

But I think thats why most dont stop, people have tight deadlines and of course theres the big 'TRUST' issue.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

...
I recall breaking down on the hwy between Engadine & Heathcote at night years ago and having to walk into Engadine to find a phonebox. Every time a car passed I dived into the bush and hid :D...Just exactly where does Engadine finish and Heathcote start? Where would that bush be, that you could run and hide behind? (It's all people's front yards these days.) :D

Now Loftus and Engadine or Heathcote and Waterfall I could understand! ;)

Yes NM I do remember the old road through Engadine and the trees where no houses yet existed, but these days there's a McDonalds just about across the road from the bush you hid behind. :wasntme:

Diana :) :)

[Gooner]

[QUOTE=Lotz-A-Landies;1093061]
I can fully understand the bit about the kids in the car, although if teaching by example is true, your children are learning not to stop for anyone.

No - thats not right. In our case, my kids would be watching their dad make a decision on a situation based on the possibility of danger. They would be learning to quickly sum up a situation - no different to what they learn at school and elsewhere.
Male (or males) equals unacceptable risk, female (or famales) equals much lower risk and we stop, as we would for parents with kids.
Like has been said before, I would be more prepared to stop as long as I was travelling solo.

Craig

[numpty]

The old girls memory is not what it used to be Diana :angel:. It was actually between Loftus and Engadine. I know, because I had to go out and rescue her, as she was driving the Fiat at the time.

[Shonky]

Mind you, not many women even know how to change a tyre.

Mrs Shonky didn't even want to know! :o

Until she rolled a tyre off the rim of the paddock basher at the point on our property that is furthest from the house. She had a looooong walk back to reconsider, and now knows how to swap the spare on herself. (I drove her back out in the Pootrol and showed her)

[numpty]

I don't know whether things have changed, but before we left Australia and moved to Qld ;), it was NRMA policy that they would only attend to change a tyre for pregnant women or the aged and/or infirm/disabled.

A little off topic I know, but all able bodied people should be encouraged to attempt such things.

[austastar]

We have considered this, and if the situation looked at all unclear, I would drive past a way and walk back.
If no reassuring wave from me, Wifey was to be ready to drive on and start phoning police etc if things went wrong.
Haven't had to do it yet, so far all has been without dramas of any kind.
That's where a hand held CB would be handy for us to communicate.
cheers

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I don't know whether things have changed, but before we left Australia and moved to Qld ;), it was NRMA policy that they would only attend to change a tyre for pregnant women or the aged and/or infirm/disabled. ....From NRMA website: "Last year the NRMA changed more than 86,000 flat tyres in NSW and the ACT alone" Search Results - NRMA Motoring & Services (http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/searchresults.htm'search-text=flat+tyre&x=11&y=6)

[AussieAub]

I'd always stop for another LR, and in fact did so a few weeks back (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/wa-aulroians-group/86144-lpg-d1-breakdown.html) now for (unknowingly) another forum members family.

Other vehicles would need to be families with young kids (to get them safely off the road) or "older" couples (m/f), certainly no 2x blokes. Though not mechanically minded, I carry tow/recovery equipment and would at least offer a tow to somewhere safe, or the use of my mobile if needed.

Cheers,

..:: KIEREN ::..
2000 Disco II Auto V8
Object Of Mass Consumption
AussieAubs Disco Page (http://aussieaub.blogspot.com)

[dullbird]

From NRMA website:
"Last year the NRMA changed more than 86,000 flat tyres in NSW and the ACT alone" Search Results - NRMA Motoring & Services (http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/searchresults.htm'search-text=flat+tyre&x=11&y=6)


well there you go baby bonus must definitely be worth going for:D

[Lotz-A-Landies]

well there you go baby bonus must definitely be worth going for:D:Rolling: :Rolling:

Or lots of old people! :D

[numpty]

From NRMA website: "Last year the NRMA changed more than 86,000 flat tyres in NSW and the ACT alone" Search Results - NRMA Motoring & Services (http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/searchresults.htm'search-text=flat+tyre&x=11&y=6)

Well, there you go. Things must have changed then.;)

[timaus13]

I allways stop even do u turns , never stop for
p platers with car full of teen males.
Have never had any problems too date 6 foot 4 and well built may help.:D

[V8Ian]

!

How many females can lift and fit even a 205x16 at 25KG let alone a 235x85 on a split rim at 40Kg????????.Even some oldies like me but not as strong and virile as me would have trouble.

I stopped at every car I saw in trouble on the GRR, because I know there are no communications, although not one wanted help, from the 100 Toyo that got 100 metres onto the dirt before his first flat, to the FJ60 which had 3 punctures in 50Km.

However you sometimes wonder when you see an old FJ60 with 3/4 worn flotation tyres not getting the message after 3 punctures.

In more civilised areas I mostly assume that the RAC has been called unless they have a longing look or run out in the road or look to be a woman in trouble.
Regards Philip A
I stopped for a Cruiser and camper north of Greenvale one time, the 70ish yo woman said she had just finished changing the (245x16) wheel and got the flat back on the roofrack, where the good one came from.:o
It is a bit annoying to pull up 140 tonne to offer assistance, only to find the call of nature is the reason for the stop.:(A wave on would be appreciated.

[V8Ian]

I don't know whether things have changed, but before we left Australia and moved to Qld ;), it was NRMA policy that they would only attend to change a tyre for pregnant women or the aged and/or infirm/disabled.

A little off topic I know, but all able bodied people should be encouraged to attempt such things.
:mad::mad::mad::2up:;)

[rovercare]

Ironic that people wouldn't stop for the beer drinkers, but I'm the one who stops for everyone!, usually with cans falling out the car:p

I love it, I pick up hitch hikers, help people on the side of the road everywhere, have some great stories, some good, some bad, but all great stories:D

[numpty]

:mad::mad::mad::2up:;)

:Rolling::Rolling::tease::tease: Don't fret too much.....we're moving back.

[Grockle]

I always stop if it's a bike broken down.

[V8Ian]

:Rolling::Rolling::tease::tease: Don't fret too much.....we're moving back.
Just came up here so youse could get civilized aye.:p:p

[BigJon]

I don't know whether things have changed, but before we left Australia and moved to Qld ;), it was NRMA policy that they would only attend to change a tyre for pregnant women or the aged and/or infirm/disabled.

A little off topic I know, but all able bodied people should be encouraged to attempt such things.

I am pretty sure that sort of policy would be illegal these days.

Besides, if I was dressed in a suit, etc for a wedding or funeral and it was raining, I would quite happily let someone else change a tyre.

[Quarks]

I allways stop even do u turns , never stop for
p platers with car full of teen males.
Have never had any problems too date 6 foot 4 and well built may help.:D

Hey, do I get a medal?? :angel:

On Tuesday, I came across two youths of middle-eastern extraction on red P's, who had broken down. I asked to offer assistance - they'd just pushed the car off the road with the help of two guys in a truck - turned out their rice burner had overheated. Nothing was needed, so I kept on walking home. :D

In contrast, the two previous breakdowns I came across, I wasn't able to help. Both were on major routes (3 lane roads). The first was causing a whopping backlog of traffic, that I'd been in for 45mins. There was already an RTA vehicle before the broken down car, doing the wonderfully useful task of... helping everyone else merge around it.:mad: And I was in the honda so completely unable to help & do something useful, like tow it into the next sidestreet. :(
Next one was a car stopped in the right-hand lane, on an overpass. I was in the Defender, so was able and ready to stop and help. But there was no-one in or around the car to be helped!! Ah well.

On the subject of changing tyres, we once had a flat on the road from Cessnock to the F3. I was 10 or 12 at the time, so not much help to Mum on a changing a wheel on the County. A guy coming the other way turned around to help out. He was already late for whatever he was going, and the "I stopped to help a lady change a tyre" knight-in-shining-armour excuse seemed to work for him. ;)

:)
Geoff

[Signal1]

I find that broken-downees (?) don't help themselves sometimes; perhaps a national code needs to be adopted :p

Bonnet up, Boot up, Hazards, no Hazards, sitting in the car, standing behind watching the cars drive by. I'm happy to stop whenever but tend to stop when there is a clear sign of breakdown and the person/s are attempting to attempt repair or actively flag someone down. Those sitting in their car quietly I assume to be waiting for RACV or similar and my negligible mechanical knowledge won't be of assistance.

Last occasion was on Greensborough Bypass, newish Jeep Cherokee with a flat, family of four, husband standing looking at the flat (clear sign to me help may be needed). Turned out that he picked the car up the day before and it didn't have a working jack. I used the Disco's but amazingly it didn't have enough lift so out came the recovery shovel and dug a little divit in the gravel verge to clear the tyre. Wife was appreciative, husband somewhat embarrassed. And of course as any LR owner would do, the divit was filled in.

Peter Phillips

[Tank]

Ironic that people wouldn't stop for the beer drinkers, but I'm the one who stops for everyone!, usually with cans falling out the car:p

I love it, I pick up hitch hikers, help people on the side of the road everywhere, have some great stories, some good, some bad, but all great stories:D
Just wondering what you would have done in the situation I described earlier when I stopped for 2 Aboriginal ladies and 1/2 a dozen or so of their drunken cousins that had been hiding in the grassy ditch, out the back of Bourke, who I believe were intent on taking everything I owned, Regards Frank.

[vnx205]

On the subject of changing flat tyres and people showing their appreciation.

Several years ago, my father in law was working in his garden, saw a lady in a Mercedes with a flat tyre and obviously no idea what to do about it.

He changed it for her.

Next day she turned up with a bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage as her way of thanking him. A year or two ago, it was recorked and valued at about $600.

I often wonder if that woman just went to her husband's cellar, saw a fairly old bottle with a plain label and thought that it was something pretty ordinary or whether she was really that appreciative of the help. :p

[waynep]

A few months ago I stopped to help a guy in an old Magna in between Uluru and the Sturt Highway. Plenty of traffic on that road and no-one had stopped.

Turned out his generator had seized completely. He had no tools or spares whatsoever and the car was in generally poor condition - he was a chef from Uluru trying to make it to King's Canyon for a day trip.

I removed the aircon/genny drive belt and told him to head back to the roadhouse about 10km back. He was going to just continue on to King's Canyon about 200km away.

[cucinadio]

nissan...no!!! land rover ...YES!!!....:)

Cheers

[George130]

I stop. Even when it's a couple of blokes. I tend to ask out the window first if I can stop next to them.
Had on young girl n her car lock the door when we stopped. We couldn't get herto respon to us so we drove off.

have fond that those you help are quite aprecitive of the offer. Even had he local police flag e down to pull car out as hey have watch me do it quite a lot.

[vnx205]

I suppose we all make our own judgments about what we do and we can never be sure that we got it right.

How can we know that the really rough looking character that we drove past was the sort who was planning to assault and rob us or whether the reason he looked like a feral was because he just got a call from his pregnant wife on their isolated farm to say that she had just gone into labour, that her car wouldn't start and the batteries on her phone were about to die, so he climbed out of the septic tank he was cleaning and jumped straight into his work ute to dash home when the fan belt broke?

On the other hand how can the irate person we just drove past be sure that we weren't in a hurry because we just gone a phone call from our pregnant wife who said ------ ----etc.?

[George130]

I suppose we all make our own judgments about what we do and we can never be sure that we got it right.

How can we know that the really rough looking character that we drove past was the sort who was planning to assault and rob us or whether the reason he looked like a feral was because he just got a call from his pregnant wife on their isolated farm to say that she had just gone into labour, that her car wouldn't start and the batteries on her phone were about to die, so he climbed out of the septic tank he was cleaning and jumped straight into his work ute to dash home when the fan belt broke?

On the other hand how can the irate person we just drove past be sure that we weren't in a hurry because we just gone a phone call from our pregnant wife who said ------ ----etc.?

Exactly.

It's also why I pick up hitch hikers when I don't have the family with me. If they pull a weapon while I'm driving then I have the better weapon. Kill me and we both die. Convince me that I will die and I might as well take you with me and get some satisfaction in choosing my way than yours. but then I am stubborn and do think of these things and how to get out of them.

[rovercare]

nissan...no!!! land rover ...YES!!!....:)

Cheers

That warrants a comment that may get me in twubble;)

[rovercare]

Just wondering what you would have done in the situation I described earlier when I stopped for 2 Aboriginal ladies and 1/2 a dozen or so of their drunken cousins that had been hiding in the grassy ditch, out the back of Bourke, who I believe were intent on taking everything I owned, Regards Frank.


Not sure what your aiming at exactly here Frank, but faced with the same situation, I'd of pulled the Colt from under the seat and.......................Nah, I'd of done very much the same.....But won't stop me stopping for others,my old boy has stopped a few times for our colored friends on his travels, some proved to be quite genuine, others, just out to rip him off, but either way, good stories:D

[stevo68]

Should I say that is such a sexist remark. You are assuming that all males have mechanical aptitude and that females do not!

People travelling in remote areas should go prepared, I say. I'm in the NRMA and have, phones plus VKS-737 on board and if it were really remote I'd also carry an EPIRB.

On a final note, one wonders what the stranded motorists and their car looked like! Were they ferrals and did the car look like it should be dumped?

BTW: Back in the 1970s, one Land Rover owner I knew was travelling in NT and came across a group of first Australians with a broken down car. The people had already affixed a tow rope and asked for a tow to the nearest station, to which he obliged. Several weeks later on a different road he came across the same group in the same situation, this time he decided to see if he could fix the problem. When he opened the bonnet, there was no engine.

Diana I would think anyone who is a parent, especially a male with the missus and kids in the car would automatically understand where rockyroad was coming from. Only someone with a bra to burn would think it was remotely sexist. Bottom line is males are the creepier of the 2 sexes, so naturally a bloke or blokes stranded.....are unlikely to get assistance from a family man.

Main reason being is I did make that error....with the missus and kids in the car. Car had gone off the road, was night time and was a little down the embankment....and a couple of guys waved us down. We weren't exactly remote...but we werent in the city either. Against my better judgement, pulled over and wound the window down. Yep..........****ed as farts....wanting me to see if I could drag them out...........with a bloody extension chord. Finally I just told them to call RACQ and be done with it....they tried to argue and I took off. Sorry but for me the wife and kids are more important to me and won't take the risk again.....unless it was very remote and could make a quick assessment based on type of car, how the person is dressed etc....remotely feral...forget it.

Matt...Ivan Milat would have loved you :twisted:

Regards

Stevo

[Tank]

Not sure what your aiming at exactly here Frank, but faced with the same situation, I'd of pulled the Colt from under the seat and.......................Nah, I'd of done very much the same.....But won't stop me stopping for others,my old boy has stopped a few times for our colored friends on his travels, some proved to be quite genuine, others, just out to rip him off, but either way, good stories:D
Not really trying to make a point, other than "once bitten twice shy", when I was driving Interstate I used to pick up hitchikers all the time until one of them nicked some money I had in the centre console, so one idiot, or bunch of idiots spoiled it for the rest. There are junkies around that will do anything to get their next fix and stuff anyone that gets in their way, so it pays to be careful, it's a shame that it has come to this, Regards Frank.

[rovercare]

Matt...Ivan Milat would have loved you :twisted:

Regards

Stevo

I've told the joke once before on this forum and was politely asked to delete, so I won't repeat;)

But yea, I've probably stopped for well over 40-50 random people, despite some minor grief, never had a life/wellbeing problem, but then again, not sure anyone wants to do anything nasty to a feral looking bugger like me:D

Although I must make a point, with the kids in the car I completely understand using a some caution:)

[cripesamighty]

We stopped a couple of weeks ago on Reid Hwy near Perth Airport for some young guys who had gotten bogged. They missed their turn off and had then tried to cross from one side of the Hwy to the other across the wide median strip through a gap in the vegetation - bad move.

They had called one of their mates who came to try and extract them but was trying to pull out their Camry with a Vitara for over half an hour with no luck. First thing we smelled when we stopped was his clutch......

I nearly had a heart attack though when I saw the setup - a crappy old strap that was looped over the tow ball and everyone just standing around while they had been trying to recover it. A few quick pointers and they all got well away.

I ended up backing the Puma in, attached my own tow strap and slowly pulled them out making sure everyone was well clear. They were a bunch of young uni students and the poor ba$tards basically had no idea. They were eternally grateful though as they had been stuck for over 3 hrs so it was nice to help out.

[rockyroad]

Being an Ambulance officer I go by the rule of "look after myself" because if anything happens to me there will be nobody to patch me up.

Sexism doesnt come into it. Getting assaulted or car jacked on ones own is scary enough but if the kids are in the car imagine how you would feel if you lifted your head from under someones bonnet to see the person you stopped to help driving off in your car with your kids in the back.

A low-lux ute full of young males with the tray full of beer in my experience is at best a rollover waiting to happen and at worst a bunch of idiots looking for a scrap.

Young mum in a prado with kids in the back seat and a flat tyre is not likely to give trouble. If she does then at least I know I can easily handle the situation where as I might be able to handle one of the low-lux occupants but not his mates.

As a point of interest most male ambulance officers are unable to change a tyre on a F350.