To be really sad at the way my 17 year old DD was treated when she broke down at a roundabout

[Greyhoundmad83]

My DD passed her driving test 2 weeks ago. She's driving my car around on the days I work from home.

Anyway, at rush hour after sixth form, she broke down on a busy roundabout in the middle of the city (the clutch had gone).

She put her emergency lights on and called me. It was very obvious she had broken down. Honestly I was so shocked to hear the beeping, people shouting at her and she said other were laughing as they went past too.

My daughter isn't excessively sensitive, but she was really shaken up.... not by the clutch going, but at the anger people had towards her for breaking down. There are several lanes of traffic, so people could get around her.

Thankfully an older man eventually stopped and managed to get the car into gear and down a side road until I got to her and Greenflag arrived to take it to a garage. I'm so grateful to this guy who had a daughter similar age.

AIBU to be disgusted at the way people treated her? I feel like society has got worse!

This is so true but hard to remember at times. I’m grateful to you for writing that. You’re a wise one!

You're quite right, I meant P plates but typed L!

Aw you’re very kind thank you.

Unfortunately I think there is a worryingly high number of men in the world, who given and ideal opportunity (and a bit of plausible deniability about the reason why), relish in humiliating and intimidating young girls.

Glad there was someone who helped her (obvs NAM incase anyone is frothing at my first comment), hope she's okay and it hasn't knocked her driving confidence.

If you break down, the universal signal is to open the bonnet and put it on the prop. Ideally standing looking in or open the boot and fiddle with the jack.
I guarantee you'd half the number of beeps if the bonnet is open.

Good advice. As is to make sure YOU are in a safe place away from the car as a surprising number of cars that have broken down apparently get hit from behind by drivers who haven’t clocked that the broken down car isn’t actually moving.
I was driven into on a roundabout by an aggressive man ( even his passengers told him to shut up!) because he thought I was being unreasonable to wait for a gap in the heavy traffic coming round from the right . The roundabout in question now has traffic lights, too late for me and my written off car though.

This happened to me very soon after I learnt to drive. A lovely man did climb into my car and drove it to a safe place for the breakdown service. I have never driven again and I’m in my 50’s now. The sheer panic and the abuse and beeping I got. I’m so sorry for your daughter. Please encourage her to get back behind the wheel so she doesn’t do what I did!

It's true, people are generally quite thick and jump to the wrong conclusion even when the correct one seems obvious

Please ignore my first post above as I accidentally posted it on the wrong thread. I have asked for it to be deleted.

Good advice about encouraging her to drive again as soon as she can.

My driving instructor told me not to get P plates when I’d passed as it has the opposite effect- people behave even worse instead of better.
She could’ve done with phoning the breakdown cover people straight away and if she was in a spot where she was causing an obstruction or potentially dangerous, the police.

People still behaved in a terrible way but she wasted time phoning you and waiting for a random man to help her.

the public are arseholes, drivers even more so

the barriers and payment machines completely came to a halt the other day in the QPark I was in and folk were going nuts

yes, people just love to sit at barriers and machines for entertainment these days 🙄

I'm sorry this happened to your daughter. Unfortunately some people get behind a wheel and believe they own the road and everyone else is an inconvenience. It's not just drivers either, I was suffering from a bad back a few years ago and was moving very slowly through a busy train station. I could hear someone tutting behind me as they couldn't get past. Eventually she resorted to actually pushing me out of the way.

I had a similar experience when I was in Uni and that was over 26 years ago. Bloke crashed into me and got out and went berserk. An older lady about my mum’s age went mad with him, gave me a bottle of water and collared a police man to get the psycho driver away from me.
Focus on that kind man OP. It’s scary to be in that situation though, very intimidating. I’d have helped had I been there, lots of people will. There’s kindness in the world- just far less of it.

Awful behaviour from the other drivers, but not surprising unfortunately. People are awful, even when there have been serious injuries. I remember reading about people taking photos of fatalities at a serious road accident. Why on earth someone would do such a thing is beyond me.

I’m not surprised your daughter is shaken by the experience op. The best she can do is try to put it down to people being utter arseholes.

I'm so sorry your DD had to go through this. There are some really awful people taking up precious oxygen on this planet!

At least some kind hearted person stopped to help. My DD is a couple of years older than your DD, so I completely understand how you are feeling right now.

I hope your DD is back on the road again soon.

I’ll do you one better op. My Db was 17 and in a car wreck. He broke his back and banged his kidney. He was really in a bad way. People drove up the kerb to get past the wrecked car and injured people. It took about 10 people coming by for someone to stop and call an ambulance to help the 17/18yos in the car.

I am not surprised. Things are accepted when behind the wheel that are not in any other situation.

Jeremy Clarkson and other petrolheads condone or almost support such behaviour.

Hope your DD is okay.
To be honest people were like this years ago as well.
I've broken down in the car many times and have had laughing from people, abuse, swearing, beeping the horn etc... both men and women.
The odd time I was helped once by a lovely man named Dominic, he phoned recovery and invited me and my passenger in to his house for a cuppa and a biscuit to calm down.
Another time, at Christmas time same thing happened, only a group of lads give the car a push to the side of the road, to safety.
You get idiots who knock you when your down. You also get some lovely genuine people who will help you in your hour of need.
Hope your DD is okay OP xx.

Sorry to hear about your DD’s experience. Was it during rush hours? People get so frustrated with any delays in their journey, they lose that human touch.

Nevertheless, it was very unkind of people to laugh at her.
I remember I was very young and just finished learning to drive. On one of my practice drives in neighbourhood, I couldn’t stop the car as I got confused between break and accelerator in my nervousness. The gentleman whose car I drive into was so kind to me. It wasn’t a major accident but I scratched his car and caused a dent, he took my number in case any issues with his insurance but never contacted me. This was in India.

I wish there are more people like him on the road. Kind and forgiving for minor offences.

That’s so horrible. Hope your brother is ok now and don’t have any long term issues.

So sorry for your DD OP. I don't know if it's just me, but as someone who doesn't drive people always think they're proper clever when they're in a car don't they? (I think its the safety of the car and being able to speed away). Hope it doesn't affect her too much but what a horrible way to treat a young girl who is just getting used to the roads! ❤️

Oh I’m so sorry for your poor DD.

just last week DH and I were driving behind a young woman whose car just died on a roundabout.

we stopped, the women immediately behind her stopped. Then pretty much everyone stopped

DH and another two men helped her push the car off the roundabout. Lots of offers of help - there are decent people out there.

That’s awful. 😞