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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:
Original poster
Laaaaa · 07/10/2021 20:39

That was meant to say I thought more nosy fuckers would help.

I don't need help, just sat with hazards on awaiting AA.

In a big cul de sac but I don't know anyone, if I saw a lone female with hazards on I would offer a brew.

I'm not saying I want anything, I'm just wondering

OP posts:
Nicknacky · 07/10/2021 20:41

But you clearly didn’t need help🤷🏻‍♀️. How bizarre to even have this cross your mind.

Nicknacky · 07/10/2021 20:41

And no way would I go out and offer a coffee 😂

Fourmagpies · 07/10/2021 20:52

What a miserable lot you all are.

OP If I noticed you were sat outside in your car, obviously broken down, I would pop out and make sure you were okay and had summoned some help.

GreyhoundG1rl · 07/10/2021 20:55

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

Dyrne · 07/10/2021 21:04

I’m so confused.

You are sat in a safe place with hazards on.

You have said you don’t need help and are giving no indication to passers-by that you need help.

But you’re still pouting that no one has stopped to offer help?

If I saw someone sitting in a cul-de-sac with their hazards on I’m not sure I’d even necessarily jump to “they’ve broken down” - round here hazards tend to mean “I’ve stopped somewhere I’m not allowed to and have popped into a house/shop and will be back shortly”

Sh05 · 07/10/2021 21:16

I broke down about 200 metres from home in the middle of a very busy road at 3pm. I didn't have my phone with me so couldn't call home. Within about 20 seconds two pedestrians crossed into the road to see what was wrong plus quite a few drivers parked in a side road and pushed my car off the main road.
Someone lent me their phone so I called the children's schools and by the time I got hold of oh, who was wfh, he'd already heard from someone who'd driven past and recognized my car.

BrilliantBulb · 07/10/2021 21:17

If you’re sat inside the car in a quiet residential road and not asking for any help then I wouldn’t expect any help.

I broke down in a cul-de-sac once and was waiting for recovery for hours. Like you I sat in the car and waited. When it came he and I both started (attempting to) push the car out of an awkward spot. As soon as we started doing that loads of people came out of their houses to help. So they’d obviously clocked us earlier.

You’re sat safe and dry inside a car just waiting. You don’t need anyone at the moment.

myadhdusername · 07/10/2021 21:24

I think OP is a bit touchy after leaving the house following a row

CarrieMoonbeams · 07/10/2021 21:25

I'm also in a fairly small village in Scotland, and anyone here would help. I know loads of people, so there's a good chance that anyone passing by would not only check if I was OK, but also invite me into their house to wait for the AA.

Even people I didn't know would check though, it's a very friendly, community-minded place and I love it here.

Neonplant · 07/10/2021 21:27

I wouldn't expect anyone to help. That's why I have a recovery service. I do know some of my neighbours so I suppose if they saw me they might help but the chances of them seeinge are fairly low. I wouldn't expect strangers to help.

InTheNightWeWillWish · 07/10/2021 21:32

I’ve broken down twice just round the corner from home. Nobody helped. Most recently was a couple of weeks ago on a 60mph road (my road) and I’m heavily pregnant. I managed to limp it home, if not I’d have called AA and moved to a safe place.

When I broke down the first time, I left it where it broke down and walked home and went back for it the next day (it wasn’t causing an obstruction). As luck would have it, they were resurfacing the road so the highway guys got behind the car with DH to shove it out of the way quicker to not build up any more traffic. I wasn’t expecting them to help though and certainly wouldn’t expect the people whose house I broke down outside to help.

Someone broke down outside our house on Christmas Day. We helped because they knocked on the door to ask for help. DH helped them sort their tire out and if they’d needed to call AA I’d have made them a cup of tea but that’s about it.

Funnylittlefloozie · 07/10/2021 21:35

A few years ago, my crappy Ford Focus broke down on a zebra crossing right outside the local night shelter. There was a little group of homeless men waiting for the shelter to open, and they ALL came over to help, and pushed my car round the corner into a safer place to park. They refused to accept any money.

I had separated from my exH about three months previously, and he put a nasty gloating post on FB saying it served me right etc, etc. The difference in basic decency could not have been more stark.

Sn0tnose · 07/10/2021 21:39

Pretty rough council estate here; I wouldn’t have long to wait. I mean, they might stink of weed, but they’d help without knowing me, being asked or expecting anything in return.

Innovationstandard · 07/10/2021 21:47

It's lovely to know how much kindness there is around despite the world seeming to be a very hostile place sometimes 😊

Fluffypastelslippers · 07/10/2021 21:48

@Laaaaa

That was meant to say I thought more nosy fuckers would help.

I don't need help, just sat with hazards on awaiting AA.

In a big cul de sac but I don't know anyone, if I saw a lone female with hazards on I would offer a brew.

I'm not saying I want anything, I'm just wondering

Goodness that's very needy.

NotMyCat · 07/10/2021 21:50

Car set on fire while man was driving his son to school the other day outside my house
Two of us went to check they were ok and I made brews because the poor guy was sat there for 6hrs waiting for recovery
I also let him in to use the toilet (very Not MN I know!)

LadyCatStark · 07/10/2021 21:59

People would stop to help in my village but it’s probably the most friendly village in the U.K! It’s a cardinal sin not to say hello to people as you walk past them so if you were out of your car you’d be able to tell us what was wrong.

NotYourCupOfTea · 07/10/2021 22:11

Probably wouldn’t notice…. Doesn’t sound like you need help though? What do you want people to do? If you want a brew walk home and make one Hmm

Kite22 · 07/10/2021 23:31

@Dyrne

I’m so confused.

You are sat in a safe place with hazards on.

You have said you don’t need help and are giving no indication to passers-by that you need help.

But you’re still pouting that no one has stopped to offer help?

If I saw someone sitting in a cul-de-sac with their hazards on I’m not sure I’d even necessarily jump to “they’ve broken down” - round here hazards tend to mean “I’ve stopped somewhere I’m not allowed to and have popped into a house/shop and will be back shortly”

This ^

It is not, in any way comparable with the examples such as being stuck half way across a zebra crossing, blocking the road.

IME, most people will help if there is any indication help is needed, but if a person is sat in their car at the side of the road, safe and sound, in the dry, on their phone (to be posting on here) so clearly not stranded in any way, I can't see how they would need any help from me.
I've gone out and helped many a time when there have been accidents and there was something I could do, but someone sitting in a car wouldn't even suggest to me that they were in any need of help - I'd just assume they were waiting for someone.

Original poster
Laaaaa · 07/10/2021 23:57

I thought it was pretty normal if someone was outside your house with hazards on to come out and say are you ok.

Clearly not.

OP posts:
JulesRimetStillGleaming · 08/10/2021 00:06

I've helped twice and both times it was lone females who had had a car accident. Once I came across a distressed young woman who had rolled her car on a remote country road and I stayed with her until the police arrived, speaking to the police on the phone to direct them to the accident. The second time, a woman crashed outside my house in thick snow. I offered her a cup of tea and to come and wait in my house but she declined. She was an off duty police officer as it turned out.

If someone was sitting in the car looking safe and with hazards on and it wasn't extreme weather and no accident then I probably wouldn't do anything - unless they had children in the car or were clearly in distress.

Is this more an issue that you're feeling upset because you had a row?

RoseMartha · 08/10/2021 06:53

I doubt anyone would stop where I am.

My clutch has gone before very close to home. No one stopped then voluntarily either, except the breakdown van after I called it, and my sister because I called her as I had the kids in the car and was on the school run going to school and she took them.

Fluffypastelslippers · 08/10/2021 07:21

@Laaaaa

I thought it was pretty normal if someone was outside your house with hazards on to come out and say are you ok.

Clearly not.

I wouldn't assume anything was wrong, people use their hazards incorrectly all the time. I do t know why you didn't just go back to your house though, particularly as you wanted a cup of tea. The breakdown people usually let you know (I have an app for mine that shows you in real-time) when they are nearby and if not they would be sure to call when they turned up and nobody was with the vehicle.

CSJobseeker · 08/10/2021 10:39

@Laaaaa

I thought it was pretty normal if someone was outside your house with hazards on to come out and say are you ok.

Clearly not.

People (wrongly!) put their hazards on in order to park on double yellows and pop into a takeaway, so I wouldn't interpret hazards as a sign of distress.

In normal weather (i.e. not extreme cold/heat) and if the person in the car looked fine (not ill or in distress), I wouldn't offer help because I'd assume they didn't need it. Anyone who looked at the car would presumably have seen you calling your breakdown company.

If someone was blocking the road I might offer to help push their car to the side, but if there's no obstruction and no-one in danger or distress, I'm not sure what you'd expect someone to do.

Do you normally need attention like this?