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Original poster

If you broke down round the corner...

59 replies

Laaaaa · 07/10/2021 18:57

If you broke down round the corner from home how many people would stop and help?

Smallish village but busy, stomped out of house after a row and looks like clutch has gone, just can't get it in gear.

So far one young lad stopped to help!

OP posts:
PinkFootstool · 07/10/2021 18:59

No idea, but surely you ring your recovery service (if you have them) or just walk home?

BrilliantBulb · 07/10/2021 19:01

If I was in the middle of the road or otherwise very obviously broken down I imagine someone would stop to help. But I also imagine I would have rung recovery before they did.

How obvious is it that you’re broken down to others whizzing by?

the80sweregreat · 07/10/2021 19:02

No fucker round here!

Kite22 · 07/10/2021 19:07

Unless you were stuck in the middle of the road, blocking the road for others, I wouldn't generally expect anyone to stop and help. I mean, what could they do ? Even if I knew someone was broken down, and not just sitting waiting for someone, there isn't anything I could do. I would assume they had called their breakdown company and were waiting for them.
That is regardless of if round the corner or not (which obviously most people wouldn't know).
If you were stuck in the middle of the road, I'd offer to push to somewhere safer / less in the way.

Original poster
Laaaaa · 07/10/2021 19:09

Rang AA but thought more of the body fuckers would stop to see if I was ok

OP posts:
Nicknacky · 07/10/2021 19:10

Do you need people to stop and see you are ok? Are you in the middle of the road or junction?

Fluffypastelslippers · 07/10/2021 19:11

There isn't much anyone can do to help if the clutch has gone? Just get your recovery people?

Innovationstandard · 07/10/2021 19:11

I'd probably ask if you needed anyone calling. I don't know anything about cars but would be concerned if you didn't have help coming. Actually I saw a young mother who'd got a flat tyre recently and I did ask if I could give her a lift anywhere. She lived over an hour away so I was quite relieved when she said a friend was coming, I'd have taken her though if she'd had no one. I even sat working out the logistics of getting her back!

Fluffypastelslippers · 07/10/2021 19:11

@Laaaaa

Rang AA but thought more of the body fuckers would stop to see if I was ok

Sorry I misunderstood. Are you in a position where people would know you need to be asked if you are ok?

Brollywasntneededafterall · 07/10/2021 19:12

New to the area some years ago the Turkish man who spoke very little English saw me and ran out leaving his chippy unattended and pushed my car round the corner to my house!! I was more worried about his shop than my car tbh!!

Theunamedcat · 07/10/2021 19:16

In my town you would get me helping you I literally pushed two cars within three days once loads of able bodied men walking/driving past and middle aged mum of three pushing cars about laughing about it my back wasn't by the time I had finished bloody rover cars are HEAVY

621CustardCream438 · 07/10/2021 19:19

I’d be far more uncomfortable if say a lone man I didn’t know stopped to help than if I was left alone.

I’d hope people would stop if it looked like there were casualties following an accident or an ambulance needed calling or they were a witness to something, but for a simple mechanical breakdown that’s not blocking a road I would just leave you to call your breakdown company. Unless I actually knew you in which case I might come and commiserate.

Wallopbang · 07/10/2021 19:30

I wouldn't expect anyone to stop and help tbh unless I was causing an obstruction and couldn't push my vehicle out the way.

I broke down on a winters night alone once on the A1. Of course no one stopped as they were bombing along at 70mph and it was dark. AA took ages to arrive and I remember it being a scary experience.

Another time I had a blow out on a dual carriageway and had my mum and young daughter with me. A lovely man stopped and changed my tyre for me before a police officer saw us and blocked the lane with their car.

If I saw someone in distress I'd see if I could help, but for a regular run of the mill break down I wouldn't stop - that's what recovery services are for.

CSJobseeker · 07/10/2021 19:33

@Laaaaa

Rang AA but thought more of the body fuckers would stop to see if I was ok
Why wouldn't you be okay? Unless someone looks ill, or vulnerable in some way (e.g. it was night time, or very bad weather, or they had young kids with them), if I saw someone waiting for a breakdown truck I'd leave them to it.

What do you want people to do exactly?

GreyhoundG1rl · 07/10/2021 19:38

There's no particular reason why you wouldn't be ok, is there?
Nobody is asking because they anticipate "I'm just waiting for the AA man" as an answer 🤷🏻‍♀️
What could they do that you can't do for yourself?

TrainforSpeed · 07/10/2021 19:39

I don't think anyone would stop unless someone I knew well happened to be passing.

People are scared of approaching a stranger for fear of having their good intentions misinterpreted

JulesRimetStillGleaming · 07/10/2021 19:42

I've broken down loads. No-one has ever stopped to help me. That includes in London, rural Wales, suburban Wales. Mostly they wouldn't even know you were broken down and unless they happened to have a recovery truck or be a mobile mechanic, what could they do?

TheChosenTwo · 07/10/2021 19:42

Well are you okay??
I would think if someone who knew me drove past they’d stop and ask if I needed anything other than breakdown people, other than that, I wouldn’t have thought anyone would stop. I stopped to check on someone a couple of years ago because she was on a corner of a fairly quiet road and it was easy to pull up, plus I saw she had 2 kids in the car. Asked if she was okay, she said her recovery guy was about 10 minutes away but she was thankful that I had stopped to ask. I had some snacks in my car and offered them to her for her kids and she was even more grateful.
Not sure I’d have stopped if I hadn’t seen the dc to be honest, I suppose if I saw someone either just stood outside their car or sitting nearby it I would presume they had sorted out a lift/recovery. Maybe if they were tearful and flagging down passers by!

HuhWhatNow · 07/10/2021 19:55

Quite a few.

Friend had a flat and a lad stopped pretty much immediately and started changing it for her and another person was phoning the local garage to see if they were still open. They were closing but were happy to stay open a wee while longer so they could fix her tyre.

My clutch went in the middle of the street and by the time I'd started to phone my dad, a HUGE beardy biker chap had come out of his house and was pushing my Landrover to the side for me. Others stopped to help but didn't get a chance cos he moved it so quickly.

It's a rural village and a very friendly one at that.

Cattitudes · 07/10/2021 20:00

Everyone on my road would help, mainly because I would be completely blocking the only way in and out!

HuhWhatNow · 07/10/2021 20:01

A man pulled into my mum's farm a couple of months ago. His trailer was breaking down and dangerous. He asked if there was somewhere he could get it repaired.

My dad had a look and (as he's a damn hoarder), he had just the axle part they needed, got his gear out and welded it on right there while mum made the holiday makers a cuppa or two. They were from Devon and mum is in Scotland so they had quite a journey to make. They offered to pay and my folks wouldn't hear of it.

garlicandsapphires · 07/10/2021 20:03

I think lots would help here. Town in South West. Very friendly generally.

Babdoc · 07/10/2021 20:12

Small village in Scotland. Everybody helps.
When my car was stuck in the snow and ice across the pavement, and I couldn’t get onto the road, the neighbours brought pickaxes to break up the ice and shovelled the snow to dig my car out. Then they dug out a parking space for me on the road, so I could get to work at the hospital each day without risking getting stuck on my drive again.
When delivery vans got stuck in the drifts on the uphill sliproad to our flyover, the villagers took 4WD cars over and towed each van into the village.
And when I broke down in our nearest city, in the rain, the second car passing me stopped and the chap sorted my damp engine with some wd40 before I could even think of calling the RAC!

MakkaPakkas · 07/10/2021 20:16

I'd definitely be blocking the road (London) so I think quite a few people would give me a push so traffic could get past. I've seen this happen before. Whether they'd help me back to the house is another matter!

Marmite27 · 07/10/2021 20:17

I live in a fairly rough area.

I’d be inundated with help and someone would probably bring me a cup of tea. Grin