Do you stop and help others alongside the road?

[jwilly]

Warning: The following message is a rant. But a rant that will hopefully spark others to stop and think?

This subject has been on my mind for the past several weeks and just came to a head this morning. A friend of mine from a local motorcycle forum was on a busy ramp of one of the interstates here in Metro Atlanta this morning. He hit what appears to be a patch of diesel fuel and put down his SV. Knocking both of his side cases and top case off and scattering stuff all over the freeway ramp during morning rush hour. Of the hundreds of vehicles passing by within minutes only one lady stopped to try to help him. She helped him gather a few of his things and more importantly gave him a hug and said "I'm glad you weren't injured any worse, your going to be fine".

So my question to all of you is: Do you stop to help others?

You don't have to post up one way or another. I'm not the judge, I just want you to consider this.

I will admit that I'm a stopper and pretty much always have been. I'm just like most of you and lead a busy life and have a lot going on. For me I always ask myself when I see someone in need, what if that was my wife, or children or even me? Would I want people to just keep going and assume that everything is fine? In today's fast paced world we just assume that people have a cell phone or it might be dangerous to stop alongside the road, who knows what could happen?

In the hundreds of times that I have stopped and helped others I can honestly say that it is one of the most rewarding things I do. Please understand that it has risks and you have to decide what your comfortable with. In January of this year I was on a business trip to San Antonio, TX and came across a gentleman that was stranded in a dangerous spot in the road with a commercial van. I blocked traffic with my rental car and got out to help him get the van out of harms way. While pushing the van with the guy I felt a weird sensation in my hip. The next morning when I woke up in my hotel room I couldn't hardly get out of bed. I flew back to Atlanta and went to the doctor to find out I had a herniated disc in my lower back. Now after months of physical therapy and epidurals in my lower back I'm feeling somewhat normal. This was a risk that I took and I had to pay the price. Dammit, that's why I on a major rant! Because I planned on attending NAFO but backed out of those plans because I was unsure of my health and I'm now reading all of these stories and ride reports. Chalk it up, this rant just worked.

I'm not trying to convince you to join a religion here or sign up in some pyramid scheme to sell soap and baby wipes to your neighbors. The point of all of this is to get you to slow down and help those around you. Thanks for listening!

JW

Thoughts? Comments?

 

[El Toro Joe]

I do stop, not always...but it does make you feel good when you can help someone out. Great rant

 

[airboss]

like you I tend to stop and help, or at least offer to help. To be honest I do it for me, I feel bad if I don't. Guess my momma raised me all wrong.

 

[rushes]

Yup, I'm a stop-n-helper. But kinda limited.

Anybody on a bike for sure.

Females.

Older folks.

Capable looking males I usually pass by..

 

[v65]

This last winter we stopped to help a young man well off the side of the road in a winter storm. He was on his cell and looked at us like we were crazy, he honestly could not figure out why we stopped. I don't always stop for cars on the side of the road, especially not for the ones with Georgia Bulldogs stickers :evilsmiley03: , but always for a bike.

 

[cota95]

Always stop for bikes and ladies ...not too often for cages

 

[radman]

Always, especially if a bike is involved. A Hardley Ableson® rider and his skank girlfriend, however, were not looking for assistance, and after watching them stagger around looking for what was obviously illegal and lost on the side of the road, guess I can't blame 'em........

 

[Ignacio]

Usually stop....always offer to call somebody if they don't have a cell.

Minivan in the snow with bald tires stuck in the ditch because they shouldn't have been out there in the first place....I'll call somebody for them and run away.

Somebody with a blown tire because of debris and car looks reasonably maintained...and in amongst thanking me says how they stop for others....I'll even jack up the car for them and help change their tire.

Motorcycle with a helmet behind the rear wheel....always.

 

[user 2024]

I stop and at least ask if there is anything I can do. I guess it goes back to "Do unto others......"

 

[eeksnake]

Most always stop unless the situation is obviously well in hand (EMT, HP, etc. are on station).

Both beerme & I stopped during the NAFO SS1K for a lady who had driven off the road North of Rico. After talking to her and making sure she wasn't injured, we convinced her to seek shelter in a nearby RV (it was raining) while we rode on in search of a phone that worked (no signal on our cell phones). We stopped in Placerville where beerme spent a considerable amount of time convincing the bureaucrat(s) on the other end of the phone that there was a woman in distress North of mile marker 52.

Why? I won't speak for beerme but I couldn't live with myself knowing that I left someone in trouble along the side of a dark, wet road.

 

[Scab]

Yep, I'm a helper. If I don't, my dad will magically appear out of nowhere and smack me in the head, exclaiming; "Boy, I raised you better!"

 

[Randy]

In the past year, many stop-n-offers. 2 took me up on it. 1 was a guy pushing his Speed Triple along a busy interstate on a blistering hot day with his helmet on (smart). Ran out of gas .5 mi before the exit ramp/gas station (not smart). I was in the cage. Gave him a lift, paid the deposit on the loaner gas can, took him back to his bike, made sure he was OK, dropped the loaner gas can off. Took all of 10 minutes out of my life. No big deal...I hope to never be in the situation, but, if I am hope someone does the same.

Last week while driving on the PA Turnpike, 2 vehicles ahead was a tow truck. He swerved. Car in front of me (elderly lady) didn't swerve in time and hit a chunk of metal that must have fallen off a truck. She hit it and instantly flattened her tire. I pulled over to help her change the tire. As I just got the lugnuts loose and before jacking it up, she saw that she hit it with the front, too, and the tire was bulging and looking ready to pop. She refused to drive it and called a tow truck (the one that swerved didn't stop - missed an opportunity to make a few $) - we waited in my car till it got there. Again, hope I'm never in that situation, but if I, or anyone I know/love is, I would hope someone would do the same.

It's a very rewarding feeling, but, I have about the same limitations that Rushes listed.

 

[ngarider]

I only stop for bikes in metro ATL. We have HERO, let them handle the cages. I *always* call emergency services, no matter the place or circumstance.

Funny you rant about this -- on Barrett Pkwy last Friday night, a squid wadded his sportbike up (I wanna say a Honda, black and red, and 600 I could swear) pretty much right in front of me. Tshirt, shorts, Nike's and a helmet. He was scraped up a bit, helmet was done for, and he was very upset. His buddys (3 of them, who, between them couldn't vote legally) were helping.

I stopped, called 911, gave the details. The kid wanted to ride it away, but it wouldn't start. I advised him to wait for an ambulance and to remain still. I also advised him to get some proper motorcycle gear. None of that advise was taken, and since he wadded the bike and wasn't licensed to operate -- well....

While helping push his bike to the side, something in my foot gave way. It's not anything that shouldn't heal on its own, but man, what a pisser.

Sorry about your NAFO plans being screwed. Just remember, there is such a thing as karma. I know a certain little dog that owes it life to you, for one....

Ya never know.

 

[BikerGeek99]

2 stories. One of being the helpee, one the helper.

<ahem> A few years ago, not long out of college, a buddy of mine and I went to Cleveland for an Indians game. No biggie... Been there many times. Knew where to park and all that. We met up with another college buddy and his wife, and enter the stadium early to watch batting practice.

The game ends, we head to the car. We contemplate heading to the Ohio State campus and scalping tickets for the Ohio State - Washington game happening that night. (First night game ever at Ohio Stadium.)

The f'in Cleveland Poh-lice had put up "Special Event - No Parking" signs after we had entered the stadium. All the cars along there had been towed!

****.

So there we are, in Cleveland, Saturday evening, no ride. This is before cell phones were all popular and affordable.

Now what?

We head to the stadium, find a couple of pay phones. I call the number on the sign - I'm screwed until Monday.

Crap.

I start calling my family back here in Columbus. Nobody is answering their phones.

Crap crap.

At this point, I'm saying let's just rent a damn car and I'll figure everything else out later. This (pretty big) guy standing at the pay phone next to us hangs up and asks, "Are you guys in some kind of trouble or something? This isn't the best area at night, especially if you're not from around here."

We got to talking with him - I have family in the area. Happens to be the same area where he's heading.

This dude gives us a lift to my aunt and uncle's house. We give him a couple of bucks for gas. Nobody's home. DAMN!! So we sit and wait. Eventually my aunt gets home and is rather surprised to see her nephew and some other guy on her doorstep.

I'm still pissed at the city of Cleveland for that one. Bastages. Oh - eventually my brother and mom came and picked us up. I had to go back to Cleveland on Monday to recover my kidnapped car. That cost something like $130. &*@#suckers.

Second story...

It's late at night, snowing, and I'm heading out of the bar to go home. I see a cutie (coulda been a 2, but at the time she looked like at least a 8.5) heading out with a flat tire.

I holler at her, she stops, and I changed her tire. Nothing more than, "Thanks, man." I had no game then, and I got no game now.

But damn I'm a nice guy.

 

[jwilly]

A cool story from one of my stops. Back when I lived in the burbs of Chicago I'm driving home from the city after knocking down doors trying to sell group health insurance. I see a couple of ladies on the opposite side of the road looking at a flat tire and scratching there head. I do a u-turn and pull up behind them, hop out take off my tie, roll up my sleeves and change the tire for them. While changing the tire the woman asked me what I did for a living. She said, give me one of your cards and I will see if maybe my husband can refer someone to you? He was a CPA.

A few days later a letter shows up in the mail from her husband. He thanked me for stopping and helping his wife and included $250 cash! Note to self, always stop and help hot women in nice cars.

JW

 

[Fencer]

I stopped just yesterday, the tow truck was already on the way.

 

[snikr]

If I can stop safely I try to stop and offer help.

Tom

 

[HotRodZilla]

Yup, I'm a stop-n-helper. But kinda limited.Anybody on a bike for sure.

Females.

Older folks.

Capable looking males I usually pass by..

If I'm at work, I pretty much stop and check on everybody. If on personal time I follow the guidelines above.

People these days are in way too much of a hurry. People will drive by a dead body if its presence doesn't affect ther commute.

 

[Crash Cash]

Hell no. in 18 years, I've never had help from anyone, and I've had plenty of cars, Harleys, cops, etc. go around me. I've had 2 UCF cops just pass by when I was pushing my GS110GL helmetless at 2am after my charging system died. I had to push the RZ-350 6 miles after I had a fuel line crack. I've had to walk to a 7-11, buy a 2liter of coke, pour the coke down the drain, and fill it with gas after they refused to let me borrow their fuel can. I've used a visegrip on my clutch after a cable snapped. I've used a screwdriver as a clutch lever pivot after the screw came out. I've had to push various bikes for various distances at various times for various reasons, and nobody has ever come to my assistance.

**** 'em. I *might* stop for a Japanese bike if I was feeling generous and the guy wasn't flipflops & a t-shirt, and I would probably stop for a Ducati or BMW, but cagers & Harleys can go to hell.

That's why I now have a roadside assistance plan now, which of course I've never had to use because I now have learned not to let a dealership anywhere near my bikes unless I really feel like walking.

[Edit: oh yeah, and I've had to listen to the Florida Turnpike people tell me "we can't help bikes" after I've walked to a call box and pushed the emergency button.]