People not dialling 999

[Conniebygaslight]

A couple of months ago, DH & I driving along a motorway nearish to home, noticed a young guy straddling the railings on the overhead bridge. I immediately dialled 999 giving details as best I could and carried on our journey.
later that evening I noticed on a local community page that the motorway had been closed for a couple of hours. People were speculating about it being ‘a jumper’ and lots of people were saying they’d seen him straddling the bridge. I commented that I’d seen him and had dialled 999. The next day there were a few replies to my comment from what I presume to be his family thanking me profusely as he had been helped by emergency services.
What staggered me was the amount of people who had simply driven past this obviously distressed individual and didn’t think to call for help.
I just wondered what other people would have done out of interest?

How do you know other people didn’t phone 999?

They might have called but not felt the need to state this on social media.

Don't forget that a lot of people may have been travelling alone and therefore couldn't call 999, and by the time they reached somewhere they could stop they thought someone else would have done it.

It hadn’t been reported when I rang it in.

I absolutely would have called 999. On our way back from holiday a couple of years ago there were a couple of teenagers sat on the concrete barrier in the middle of the motorway. DH was driving so I rang 999 and they said they'd had lots of calls reporting it which was a relief

OK so you were the first, maybe they saw him and called after?

Someone has to be the first to see and report....

Of course not everyone would have a mobile car kit but I honestly think people are scared to dial 999.

Maybe….

People wouldnt want to get points for being caught on their phone behind the wheel. The traffic police wouldnt give 2 fucks if you were calling 999 to try and help someone.

Did it look like he was going to jump or just mucking around? I did report a probable drunk lying on a road verge when it was really cold. It was late at night and I was alone in the car so didn't want to stop, but rang the police as soon as I got home, pre-mobile phone times so no way to contact anyone immediately.

Clearly you're the best though OP and deserve all the praise you fished for (at least twice now) on social media 🙄

Google bystander effect.

We teach it in psychology as when theres lots of people everyone thinks someone else will help (original inspiration for the study was kitty genovese). There's some good you tube videos on bystander effect where people walk past an actor in pain outside a trainstation and everyone just walks by...

I saw what looked like a man on an overhead bridge but I could do nothing for a few miles until I pulled into a service station and called the police.

Not everyone has a phone in the car and not everyone can pull over.

Well he was straddling the bridge so if he was mucking about it could’ve gone horribly wrong. He was in his mid 20s maybe so wouldn’t say he was.
Either way surely to ring 999 was the right thing.

how do you know they did not call? and how do you know you were the first?

what a horrible thing to see on social media, a loved one, family or friend splashed across the internet with people speculating and making assumptions!

i can assure you people do call 999 and for some of the most ridiculous and petty reasons.

Definitely bystander effect. Everyone always thinks someone has called.

There was a young woman on top of a multi storey car park in our city last year, I only noticed her because I was steaming on the way home from the pub and had to stop and look up at the sky to stop the world spinning. Called 999 but unfortunately she jumped before they could talk her down. I think about her a lot and wish I’d noticed sooner.

So glad you called op and they managed to get to him in time.

Oh FFS. I didn’t post it on social media, I commented that I’d rung 999 because everyone else was saying they’d seen him and not one person had said they’d done anything about it.

If you Google zimbardo (psychologist) and bystander and click videos there's a few videos explaining it. He's brilliant. Here's a short one. Everyone thinks they'd do differently but repeated studies show most people pass by.

That’s awful…sorry that happened. I think you’re right that people don’t want to get involved.

When I rang it in, I said that I presumed it had been reported but just wanted to make sure, she said it hadn’t.

A few months ago a car literally crashed into someone’s front garden right in front of me . I had my autistic child mid meltdown in their pushchair so I just turned around as there were other people who were driving past and one of them stopped

It was the social media comments (incredibly insensitive) so many people saying they’d seen him, not one said they’d actually reported it. I was staggered which is why I commented that I had. Hopefully will make people think in future to do so.

You can ask Siri to call 999 hands free

Wow, that must’ve been terrifying.

Exactly….I assumed most would but apparently not.

If I saw someone on a bridge, or anywhere, looking like they were about to end their life, damm right I'd phone 999/stop if possible.

I lost my son to suicide, I couldn't not do anything.