Stop and help your fellow man....
 

Coming from a small town in North Dakota, it has always been engraved in me, that if you see someone stranded on the side of the road, you stop and help, or at least stop and ask if they need help. Now this may be because when it is 20 below in the middle of January, if you don't stop, that person who is stranded has a good chance of dying, but that isn't the point here. Winter, spring, summer, fall it shouldn't matter.

I was pulling off the highway tonight on my way home, and I saw a stranded Porsche on the side of the offramp (to my eyes it was an artic silver about a 1999 2.5L, but that isn't the point either). I immediately pulled over and walked back to see what the problem was. A girl in her late 20's explained the car had just died at the light, and it wouldn't turn over (22k miles on a 99 boxster...most can guess where this is going). I told her I bet her original porsche battery that was in there was more than likely the culprit since it was rarely driven. I offer her a jumpstart and she gladly accepted. I pulled the 951 into the ditch as no one coming off the highway would move over to give us any room, and I got the cables hooked up.

She said she had been sitting there for over a half hour, not one person stopped to offer help. When the boxster died in the middle of the road, not one person offered to help push it to the side of the road, instead they screamed and honked at her to get her piece of SH&T out of the way (like she really wanted her car to die in the middle of the road). So this little girl somehow pushed her boxster off to the side of the road, and tried to call for help to no avail.

After a little time for the battery to charge up, she fired right off, and the girl was on her way (with a stack of my business cards no less, lol).

Point is, if you see someone stranded in the middle of the road, and it isn't out in the middle of no where in a place that you might fear getting shot, please stop and help your fellow man (or woman). Some may not believe in Karma, but I do.

Who knows, I may be the poor sap that gets shot on the side of the road while trying to help someone, but if that is how I go out, then I'll call it a good run.

While I understand what you are trying to say I feel safer stopping and helping a girl in a Porsche than a guy that looks sketchy in a sh|tty car.

No offense but I hope you get my point.

Good job though!

I posted tonights meeting because it was a porsche, and since this being a porsche forum.....but i bet on average I stop at least once a month to help someone on the side of the road or in a parking lot. It doesn't matter if it has been old couples, middle aged men, black, white, yellow, blue whatever, it really doesn't matter. Middle of the day or at midnight in the pouring rain. You obviously have to be more aware of your surroundings in the more shady parts of town. I just thought it odd, at one of the busiest intersections in south Kansas City metro area, that no one could stop in broad daylight. I draw the line at stopping to help the guy with a crusty old van that says "Free Candy" on the side, but other than that, everyone is fair game.

Hi,

Kudos to you Doc! I'm not sure what it says of our Society or our faith in our fellow man when we have to debate about doing the right thing...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

First off, "kill all the lawyers"

Then, we can stop and help folks.

Good for you my man, that is the way it should be :) ....Reminds me a little of Hawaii in that regard....people tend to help each other out more, maybe its a cultural thing.

I think people are generally just afraid....Lots of whackos out there. Seems like the smaller the population, the more people tend to help each other out...

I'm with you PorschDoc. It was ingrained in me growing up as well. Perhaps for many of the same SD reasons, but I have many memories of my father pulling off and helping people. Particularly in the High Country and doubly so in the winter, it's just common courtesy. And, I have so many memories of others doing the same for me as a young driver with little gas money and a crappy car. Because of that, I always keep a "roadside" kit in my cars (tools, gloves, tow strap, jumpers, etc) even though I haven't had to use it on my own car in years.

My only bad experience was in high school going skiing with some friends. We had my parents van and were cruising up I-70 just below the Eisenhower tunnel. We were keeping up with traffic and the weather was clear but hit some black ice and some gusting wind. I felt the back end start to move and before I knew it we were spinning across traffic (luckily to the right) and ended up in a snow bank. Immediately, traffic slowed down to around 15 mph as the weather worsened and it began snowing pretty heavily. I got the van out of the drift but the front right rim was damaged. In trying to replace the tire I discovered that the van didn't have a lug wrench. With the van jacked up and the hood open (to show we needed help), we watched a steady stream of bumper to bumper people crawl past, looking, but not stopping to help. This despite our obvious distress and attempts to wave down someone. Eventually a Jeep pulled off ahead of us. I ran up and knocked on the window. When it rolled down I thanked the lady profusely since no one else had stopped. She told me she didn't stop for me but to lock her hubs. I got her lug wrench anyway and proceeded to replace a tire in a time that would make a pit crew proud.

The problem is that the guy in the crappy car is the one who probably needs help the most. Hell, that guy was me more times than I can count. Sure it can be a risk, but then so's life.

I have no problem stopping and helping most people. The last time was mom and her teenage son, who had a flat in their mini-van. Neither one had any clue about changing a tire, and the way they had jacked the van up was dangerous to say the least. They had already been waiting an hour for AAA, and not one single person had stopped to offer help, including several tow trucks.

Imagine their surprise to see someone in a Porsche pull over to help. Imagine their bigger surprise to see a gal get out and help them out. It took me about 10 minutes to get them on the road again, and when I returned to my car, I found two $20's on the seat.

Now yesterday was a different story....

There are several cars that like to race down my road. We're talking 50 mph plus on a one lane gravel road. I live at the apex of a turn that is sharper than 90 degrees. Because it is gravel, people (kids and adults) like to slide sideways around the corner because it is cool... at least in their minds.

Two of the usual speed racers came tearing down the road yesterday. The first spun out going around the turn and wound up sideways in the middle of the road; the second came flying around the corner right behind them and broadsided them so hard it shattered the back window of the first car. They both got out of their cars, and were just stunned that they had both totalled their cars on a gravel road.

I sat on my porch and laughed. But I guarantee that when Mommy and Daddy buy them their next cars, they will do the same thing again.

PorscheDoc, that was a REALLY nice thing that you did. Too bad she didn't have a cell phone available? Here in Mass, sorry to say I wouldn't pull over BUT I would call the police to report it.

Isn't amazing that when some folks see a stranded Porsche they just JUMP all over it.