Good samaritan...or not

impr0v

On Monday morning at about 5 to 7 I passed a car stopped in the hard shoulder of the N52 between Kilbeggan in Westmeath and Tullamore in Offaly, a little grey micra. A little old nun had just opened up the boot and was rummaging through the pile of stuff in there. In the rear view mirror the car did look a little lobsided, so I'm assuming she had a flat. It was windy and pretty cold, and about five minutes later it absolutely lashed rain. I was ridden with guilt for around 15 to 20 miles, then forgot about her, so in that sense it was like flattening a cat.

Maybe more suited to after hours, but would you have stopped?

Before condemning me, bear in mind that I was quite close to a truck in front of me, so due to my view being obscured I didn't see her until I was quite close. And I also don't have any faith.

unkel

Fair play for your honesty. Would be interested myself in people's answers

impr0v wrote:

And I also don't have any faith.

Neither do I so lets just say it was a little old lady

What would I have done? Probably depends on lots of other circumstances, like being late for a very important meeting, or just going into work or outside working hours. Was she in a relatively safe spot or not? Did I spot an AA sticker in the rear view mirror after passing? And loads of other things. I would have either:

1. Like yourself driven on and feel a bit or a lot guilty
2. Stopped and helped if I could or rung the AA from my mobile (she mightn't have one)

The Muppet

Time permitting I would have stopped and given a hand. I would like to think if my mother was in a similar situation someone would stop to help.

Borzoi

The Muppet wrote:

Time permitting I would have stopped and given a hand. I would like to think if my mother was in a similar situation someone would stop to help.

Likewise, but it's just not always possible. If you're phyically infirm even a simple flat tyre can be impossible to fix on your own.

fletch

It could have been a setup so you stop and the next thing 4 fellas in balaclavas hop into your car & speed off but we can't always think like that. I think if I had seen her and I wasn't in a rush to get where I was goin & didn't mind gettin dirty then yeh I would of stopped

Tommy Vercetti

I would have looked upon the situation as one less Micra to get in my way. End of story.

impr0v

I don't really have the 'in a rush' excuse because although I had to be in Kilkenny for 9, i had about a half hour to spare. I wasn't too keen on getting dirty, being in a suit and tie, but I'm sure she wasn't either.

The 'I don't have faith' is a stupid argument, but I used it to justify my actions to myself, saying that someone who believes in God should be more responsible for her!

I should have stopped really. If she was a mid-twenties blonde in a trouser suit and driving a boxster the decision would have been instantaneous, though the danger is then that I'd get punched and told she could change her own wheel and not to be such a sexist pig.

mike65

impr0v wrote:

I should have stopped really. If she was a mid-twenties blonde in a trouser suit and driving a boxster the decision would have been instantaneous, though the danger is then that I'd get punched and told she could change her own wheel and not to be such a sexist pig.

Given the cirumstances I proberly would have stopped to inquire if she needed help. And then got lumbered with a tyre change.

Mike.

BrianD3

It's often pointless to stop and try to help someone change a tyre anyway. Because their wheel nuts can be impossible to loosen unless you (or they) have a decent wheel brace and a few feet of metal pipe to use for extra leverage.

I'm a strong enough guy meself (do weights a few times a week) but there have been a few times where I've been unable to loosen wheel nuts without the aid of extra leverage.

It'd be pretty embarrassing if you stopped to change a wheel for some "damsel in distress" and then find that you can't even get the wheel off...

BrianD3

Seth Brundle

I was driving out of town recently and when parked at a set of lights I noticed that a woman (40ish) in the car beside me had a flat. Rolled down the window and said it to her and she became kind of flustered so I told her to pull over up the road. Pulled in and ended up changing the wheel for her which was easy enough. I didn't mind doing it and she was totally lost - the only thing that really bothered me off was the fact that as soon as I began it started lashing rain and stopped just as I finished.
She also reached into her purse and started looking for money and said that all she had was a 50 and she couldn't really pay me and that if she had 10 or 20 quid she would have handed it over. Before anyone suggests, I didn't do it for the money, nor did I want any! I helped her because I often consider my mother in a similar situation and hope someone would help her.

alienhead

ye, i would have stopped.

delly

I would if i wasn't on the way somewhere that was time dependent i.e. work or something

Sundy

BrianD3 wrote:

It's often pointless to stop and try to help someone change a tyre anyway. Because their wheel nuts can be impossible to loosen unless you (or they) have a decent wheel brace and a few feet of metal pipe to use for extra leverage.

I'm a strong enough guy meself (do weights a few times a week) but there have been a few times where I've been unable to loosen wheel nuts without the aid of extra leverage.

It'd be pretty embarrassing if you stopped to change a wheel for some "damsel in distress" and then find that you can't even get the wheel off...

BrianD3

Yeah i have come across this problem, especially wit after market market alloys. Once i made a nice U shape out of an Opel wheel brace, it didnt like tight wheel nuts and 80kg! Now i just carry a decent wheel brace.

as for the old lady it would depend on circumstances but in general i do like to be able to lend a hand.

mike65

Why the feck are standard issue wheel braces so...useless! I bought one of those extendable "beat the thug off" types from a motor factors for about 12 old pounds and would'nt be without it.

Mike.

ps its great to see we're all so civic minded!

BrianD3

I actually snapped a wheelbrace a few years ago when trying to loosen some really tight nuts. The part where the socket attaches to the shaft just broke clean off. The shaft was about 1/2 inch diameter solid steel so I don't know why it broke - maybe metal fatigue from the torque going through it or something.

I think I'll purchase one of those extendable yokes that Mike mentioned. Handier than carrying 3ft of metal pipe in the car to use as a lever with the normal wheelbrace.

It'd have a dual use a) for road rage incidents b) for helping damsels in distress loosen their nuts and impressing them with your talent for wheel changing

BrianD3

Sundy

yeah its one of those extendable ones i have too, great things!

One thing i forgot to mention is lock nuts! A brilliant way of stopping someone removing your wheels until when ur opening the stupidly tight nut and ur "special key" breaks. This happened to my brother and he was left with a nut with no head on it! Not a nice job getting said nut out :mad:

Tenshot

A few years ago, my brother was driving through Kildare and stopped to help an American woman with a puncture. She was very appreciative. In conversation, she mentioned that she was appearing in a play in Dublin, though he didn't think anything of it.

Subsequently, he realised it was Francis McDormand (of Fargo fame...)

Victor

Once, we had a new client and I was racing to deliver a tender on time. So I'm legging it down the street (on the footpath) and just as I'm passing a woman, she turns and without looking walks in front of me..... well splat. :eek:

I picked her up, dusted her off (well not quite), checked if she was OK, she said she was, but thinking back I think she was just stunned. Then I legged it again.

I'm a bad person.

Lafortezza

BrianD3 wrote:

It'd be pretty embarrassing if you stopped to change a wheel for some "damsel in distress" and then find that you can't even get the wheel off...
BrianD3

Its terrible when your helping a woman who's in a compromising situation and you can't get your nuts off...makes you feel like less of a man..

Blitzkrieger

lafortezza wrote:

Its terrible when your helping a woman who's in a compromising situation and you can't get your nuts off...

Damnit! Beaten to it!

A decent set of tyres lasts so long these days, the nuts are almost always rusted on. I just always carry a sledgehammer to lamp the tyre with......no, I don't really, but it's better for the nuts than trying to torque them off.

Tbh - I'd only stop if it's someone I know. Even if it was some sexy blonde, she'd probably be worried what kind of weirdo I was, and prefer to call the AA. Add to that the work involved (I'm a lazy sod) and the low likelyhood of loosening any nuts , and the fact I'm always in a hurry and the chances of me stopping are fairly low.

ZENER

This reminds me of an incident about 10 years ago when I was in work.

Drove past this Micra in a Big Yellow 4x4 with company logo on, in the micra were 4 nuns looking somewhat lost. I stopped just ahead of them and walked back to see if I could help. Their response ? They quickly locked the doors and cowered down in the car as I approached waving me away as if I had leprecy or something, I showed my staff ID and indicated I was only trying to help but they weren't interested !

I've had a complex ever since and get worried anytime Crime Watch comes on the telly now.

Now I don't bother trying anymore !!

ZEN

Victor

Blitzkrieger wrote:

A decent set of tyres lasts so long these days, the nuts are almost always rusted on.

What ever happen to rotating your tyres?

ZENER wrote:

Drove past this Micra in a Big Yellow 4x4 with company logo on, in the micra were 4 nuns looking somewhat lost. I stopped just ahead of them and walked back to see if I could help. Their response ? They quickly locked the doors and cowered down in the car as I approached waving me away as if I had leprecy or something

Maybe they were trying to bury the body, but you spooked them.

therecklessone

ZENER wrote:

Drove past this Micra in a Big Yellow 4x4 with company logo on, in the micra were 4 nuns looking somewhat lost. I stopped just ahead of them and walked back to see if I could help. Their response ? They quickly locked the doors and cowered down in the car as I approached waving me away as if I had leprecy or something, I showed my staff ID and indicated I was only trying to help but they weren't interested !

Probably Ryanair nuns Zen...

ZENER

Lol