After all of my years driving (not that many really) I have come to the conclusion that as a driver each person is either a stopper, or not a stopper.
Very simply this means if you come upon an accident that has recently happened on the side of the road (you didn't see it, you have just came upon it), you either stop, or you think to yourself "well, that guy there stopped, they don't really need me", or " I will call 911 in case they don't have a cell phone, but I am already passed them...", and "they are out and walking around they must be fine".
This also applies to when people are pulled over to the side of the road with broken down cars. There are stoppers and non-stoppers. Now I don't claim to know what makes the difference between the two people. What makes someone a stopper? Did they have someone stop for them in a moment of need and now they too have become a devoted stopper? Were they always a stopper?
I am not a stopper. I have never had a horrible wreck right in front of me. I do believe I would stop then, but when there are people on the side of the road with flat tires, broken down cars, and other vehicle breakdowns I don't stop. When I see people with vehicular issues such as an accident that is fairly fresh, I don't stop. My main thought is 'what could I do to help them anyway?' I see other people stopped and that is enough for me to keep driving. I was raised in the time of the Jacob Wetterling mothers. Every stranger was a danger to your child. This was carried over into adulthood with some of my generation, especially women, we were told that if you stopped when a car was pulled over to the side of the road it was an easy way to get abducted and raped. Is it no wonder I have never stopped!? What with that thought bouncing around in my subconscious?
So are you a stopper? Or Not? If so Why or Why not?
3 comments:
I have stopped exactly twice in my life. Once in college when I was driving home for Thanksgiving and an accident happened right in front of me. The second time was when I was driving home from work earlier this year and there was a guy laying on the sidewalk in need of medical attention.
I don't really stop, but I would if it were "fresh"
But it has nothing to do with Jacob Wetterling. I've never heard the term you used :)
I've never stopped. In this day, pretty much everyone has a cell phone and if the person pulled over doesn't, someone else on the road will call it in (I try not to use my phone while driving unless I'm getting directions off it).
I agree with the Wetterling theory though. I totally remember having a "safety word" with my parents in case someone tried to pick me up by saying my family was hurt or something like that. I think it's why I shy away from strangers in general. Unless I get a positive vibe from someone, I just ignore people in general...which is why I rock at my job so much :)
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