[Closed] How can people behave like this?

I don't know Gary, but I'm glad you stopped and helped.

Hope he's OK.

As for the others...[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_behavior ]Herd Behaviour[/url]

I was waiting to cross the road in Hull one day with around 30 or more other people. A clearly blind man started walking across from the other side, despite the fact that it definitely wasn't safe to do so! 30 people just looked at him and each other uneasily, as if paralysed and didn't want to be the first to act/speak. Interestingly, I'd had a couple of beers so perhaps my inhibitions were a bit lower and I was the first to move out into the road to help him across. I don't think it was that people in the group were not kind, it's just that we sometimes struggle to snap into the mode that involves us taking actions like that.

Slightly different with the kid in the road though! People are in bubbles when in their cars though, shut off from the world.

There is the Bystander Effect - everyone assumes someone else will help. But yes, I can't understand it either.

Well done you for doing the right thing, glad he is going to be OK.

If it's hit and run the Police will be using local press to appeal for witnesses. Like to think that they would mention idiots not stopping to help as well.

Nice one for stopping.

And yes, there are some seriously odd behaviors that happen. Many years ago a friend crashed her mini into a ditch - lonely country road, no mobiles. She waited about an hour / 20-40 cars before someone realised that a woman lying on the grass waving next to a crashed and steaming car needed help... 😯

Bystander Effect plus some people just have very messed up priorities: more important for them to get to work on time than help an injured child. 🙁

Good on you for stopping and helping.

[quote=peterfile ]Hope he's OK.
As for the others...Herd Behaviour

[quote=bencooper ]There is the Bystander Effect - everyone assumes someone else will help. But yes, I can't understand it either.

if you are first on scene, I can't understand how someone would not stop, but how many people have to be there before the rubbernecker effect comes into play?

****ing inhuman self-absorbed sociopathic shite-shiners. 'bystander-effect' is a product of our bubble lives, the car being the ultimate bubble.

Good for you for doing the one simple thing that one would hope anyone would do. I too hope the police spread the shame. I still cannot believe my eyes watching that toddler on Chinese CCTV, hit by multiple cars and left in the street as multiple ppl walked by? Not caring for those harmed is in some ways worse than any crime.

I was first to him then a woman came to help but every other **** just drove on

Why would you expect anybody else to stop (unless they were a doctor/nurse etc. who could add something over and above what the lad was already receiving)?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you stopped and helped the lad...but how many others are required to stop?

As I understand it, the Chinese thing was sightly different.
As I recall they have some law about the person who stops being financially responsible for potentially crippling hospital bills!

[i]if you are first on scene, I can't understand how someone would not stop[/i]

No neither can I, just doesn't make any sense to me.

dooosuk people drove past him before I got to him. Unbelievably there were people trying to squeeze their cars past him and the raised kerb in the middle of the two lanes when he was lying in the middle of the road. I found a road cone to block the road.

Unfortunately I've had to call for an ambulance for a few people over the years, the one that pissed me off the most was while I was knealt next to the poor chap in the road, trying to keep him conscious and still, and assess, while also on the phone for an ambulance, there were a few people nearby watching, but not one of them came over to help, or even ask if we needed help, that was bad enough, but the arsehole medal has to go to the woman in the car who sat there leaning on her horn becasue she couldn't get past! 😯

Think I've mentioned it on here before but I hit a queue of traffic in a strange place on an A road, people turning round rather than queuing etc. Got to find a biker sprawled out in the middle of the road quite far from his bike, but nobody with him.

Obviously I spun it around and found an alternative route to McD's.

I once saw a young lad on a L plated scooter lose it on a fuel spill going round an island, cars just driving round him like he was street furniture. Poor kid was really shook up, nobody stopped to help me pick his bike up and get him off the road. I guess cyclists may be more sympathetic to the crashing on busy roads...

I crashed my bike when I was a student - nothing serious, just one of those topples that leaves you a bit shaken up. No-one did anything apart from a little old lady who toddled over on her two walking sticks to see if I was okay.

Human beings are often shameful creatures, and people have the audacity to say we live in a civilized society, there is absolutely nothing civilized or humane about squeezing your car past a ran over child to get on your way, tossers.

I slid on ice last year, arched over my back and winded myself when I landed. As many folk drove around me when I couldn't quite get up, to get into work - my work! (gits). A lady who witnessed me hitting the deck did check I was ok, as did a passing cycling when I eventually got up and pushed the bike into work. They aren't all bad at least.

Good on you Gary. I don't know you, but I know you've shown one of the greatest human qualities: compassion.

If you're struggling (and it may not hit you until later) it might be worth finding someone to talk to about it. Don't assume because you weren't the victim that it won't affect you.

_________________________________________________________________

I recall being sprawled on the floor after a pedestrian* stepped right into my path as I was riding to work. He was next to me out cold. Car drivers waited as long as their patience permitted and then drove round me. Thankfully people on foot stopped and called the police and an ambulance.

I think much of it is the infection of constant forward motion in a car. By the time people have processed what's going on, they can;t get their heads round pulling up and deviating from "normal" behaviour in a car: keep moving forwards.

*A blind man on his way to theological college. Can you imagine the shame...?!

jings 🙁 good on you though. Whereabouts was it on your route ?

[i]If you're struggling (and it may not hit you until later) it might be worth finding someone to talk to about it. Don't assume because you weren't the victim that it won't affect you.[/i]

It certainly did affect me, as soon I was clear of the scene I called my wife to tell her and burst into tears. Can't wait to get home and I'm sure there will be more tears later.

It was near parklands Iain just before the mini roundabout, boy was crossing the road to go for the school bus.

Came off on some ice on a small country lane once, hell of a splat, fortunately wasn't alone and my friends came back to help me, didn't stop the baggage in the Range Rover from bipping her horn because I wasn't scraping my battered carcass off the tarmac fast enough for her liking.

Pretty minor in the grand scheme of things but rather indicative of the mindset discussed. I've jumped out of my van to help people a few times over the years so like to think I'm better then that but if I'm being honest I've probably driven past stuff blithely unaware on more than one occasion.

People do act in a seemingly calus way sometimes. I tripped head first down an escalator on the underground on my way to work in rush hour about 15 years ago. Four or five people stepped ovef me - some tutting - before anyone asked if I was alright. Still takes my breath away when I think about it.

I have to say that when I was knocked off my bike by an idiot driver I was very impressed by how many people immediately stopped to help. One person not only gave me and my bike a lift home (I felt OK enough to go home rather than to hospital but the bike was a write off so I needed help getting there) but then popped back round later in the day on his way home to check that I was OK. I’d like to think that I’d do something similar if I saw someone who needed help.

My mate hit a kid that stepped out in front of his bike when the lights were green. A motorist wound down their window to laugh.

On a more positive note a van driver collected my bike that fell of my car on a dual carriageway

7 times in the last 3 years ive stopped at an accident, people faling over, coming off bikes or car crashes, and every time waited until more help arrives, number of ignorant people who drive past or bip their horns because the road is slightly blocked.

Well done Gary M.the roadside is a lonely place to wait for an ambulance for an injured person,

Good on you Gary. I work in the emergency services and it's folk like you that can save lives before we get there.

At least no one was stood there filming the incident on their mobile whilst still doing nothing.
That REALLY pees me off. 😈

Bloody hell, that's awful. Well done though mate.

I used to work in a big DIY chain. A story one colleague told me from another store showed what people can be like. An elderly man had slipped near the tills and gashed his head open on a shelf. He was out cold and there was blood everywhere - serious situation. As you can imagine all the staff went to his aid, two people attending to him and others trying to stop people coming near, phoning ambulance. After a short while a woman who wanted to pay started mouthing off that she wasn't being served. Apparantely one member of staff (probably a manager) promptly took her goods and told her to get out of the store and never come back!

Christmas eve on the A14, my wife insisted on stopping to check on an apparently broken down fiesta. With 2 older folks around it.

Turns out they had been in a crunch with a car in front and one behind, both of whom had driven off. Their car wouldn't re-start and had some damage, no phone between them, on handing the phone over I assumed they call the police what with the car blocking a major road and all, but no, the old chap called his wife for a pick up while my wife insisted on getting them both off the road and onto the hard shoulder.

About 5 cars nearly clipped mine which I'd stopped ahead of theirs and got as far off the road as I could - all passing cars were dishing out evil eyes as they passed, the only person who stopped to check up on us all was a woman with 3 kids in the car who looked like she had her hands full anyway.

Luckily once I'd found out they hadn't called the police I did, but just as I got through I could see the blue lights in the distance. We left shortly after the policeman arrived and started to arrange recovery with them.

But yeah. most people would have just left them there stranded, I mean they were causing the traffic they were all in afterall!

Had a similar thing when knocked off my bike, lying on the pavement with my foot bent 90 degrees the wrong way, I was holding my leg in pain. It was a busy road must have been 20 odd cars passed, including one who slowed down and wound down the window to laugh at me. At least the woman who hit me stopped a bit further down the road and came back. Another guy stopped and stayed with me until the ambulance arrived, never did get to thank him.

At least no one was stood there filming the incident on their mobile whilst still doing nothing.
That REALLY pees me off.

Just remind them in your best Victor Melgrew voice that the last person caught filming injured persons,had to go to hospital to have the phone removed from their rectum.

walking my wife off nantyarian with a smashed collar bone, stupidly both of us had forgot our phones. We were passed by 3 other riders... even when you spoke to them "excuse me have you got a phone I can use pleas..." they just rode on past head down deliberately avoiding eye contact. Shits everywhere in this world.

I was once hooning down buchanan street at night on my fixie skidder and I lost the front end and then the back end on a diesel/bin juice spill I hit the deck hard, really hard and slid a good 25 meters before coming to a stop feet still strapped into the pedals.

Miraculously I was completely unhurt but I was pretty tied up in the bike and in hysterics, my mate was doubled over too a few people walked on past. Eventually sortin myself out I noticed a guy coming up the street absolutely legless one careful footstep at a time we thought he was just pissed and were expecting a random drunk type chat. But no he got to us and over much slurring he said he saw me go down and had come to help.

So maybe everyone should be stocious when driving.

Good on you Gary. I got hit a few years ago on Kilmarnock Road in Shawlands and after coming to a couple of guys wound down the window and had a right good laugh...in fairness the woman who nailed me hung around and when asked who she was by the police, she replied (in a strong Glaswegian accent) "Ahm the wan that hit him" 🙂

I was riding my motorbike to work and approaching a stretch were the speed limit increased to 40. I could see quite a queue up ahead with brake lights and swerving aplenty. When I joined the queue it seemed like chaos, it was only when I got to the head of it I saw the problem. It was an 18 month old toddler walking along in the middle of the road.

Not one person stopped to help him.

I parked my bike up and went to get him off the road and still had people swerving around me without waiting for me to get him off the carriageway.

After some muffled "Where do you live thens?" I took my helmet off and after a few "Where's mummy?" he toddled off to nearby driveway where I found his pushchair.

There are some good people around as Gary demonstrates. I've helped others and been helped. I was knocked off by a postman reversing out of a blind entrance onto the cycle lane along a main road throwing me into the middle of the carriageway. The following driver managed to swerve around me and the next one stopped to protect me and block the road. A woman came out of her house and took my bike for safe keeping until I could pick it up. The postman was honest about what had happened and the Post Office accepted responsibility so I asked the police to drop charges which they did (in France BTW).

Many years ago when I was but a young lad, I was walking to the local shops when I saw a moped rider come off her ped when going too fast round a roundabout, slide across the road and hit her head hard on the kerb

I went to check on her and she was very dazed though I couldn't see any obvious injuries

Fortunately there was a phone box within 10 metres (no mobile phones then!), and an ambulance and the police turned up within minutes

I gave a brief statement and went to do my shopping

The next week I learnt from the local paper that she'd been charged with drink driving and later lost her licence 😕

I tried to remind myself that I'd actually done the right thing!

I know there are horrow stories as above but i think most people are helped look at the response above.

Walking to work i saw a girl come off her bike on the other side of the road she got up instantly but she was obviously a bit shaken by the time i crossed over a bt man working on a junction box had her sitting in the van with a cup of tea and the bike propped up against his van. I checked the bike over more to make her feel better about it still being safe and carried on my way.

I meant to tweet bt about it but totally forgot.

People can be nice too so best not to dwell on the negatives to much.

Good on ya for being the one that stopped. Hope the lad is on the mend.

On a personal note, I had someone rear end me a while back. I got out of the car, checked the other driver was okay then asked the couple in the car behind her if they would be witnesses. They said yes. Then just as they made to pull over in front thy sped off. ****s. Obviously had something far more pressing to attend to.

Last winter a colleague coming from the car park to the office stopped to help someone who had slipped on black ice and broken her hip. He gave her his coat to keep her warm and waited till the ambulance arrived.

The number of colleagues who walked past him and came into the office saying "Ken is helping a woman who has fallen. He's given her his coat. He must be freezing!"

So, you all walked past him and didn't give him your coat while you walked the three minutes to the office?

That's just what makes British people so wonderfully quirky and understated. Just now I misjudged the closing of a train door and got caught really hard on the head. It must have been obvious that it hurt (OK, not the biggest calamity in the world) but I stumbled into the carriage and nobody batted an eyelid. Nobody asked "you alright?" Cvnts.

OK - you can wipe away that tear now ...

Good on you for doing the right thing....

I had my faith in humanity restored few years back I went down hard on a rdbt on a dry day(diesel) on road .. Result was shattered scapula(still my sorest break by a long shot) 2 vehicles stopped a car and a van .. Van took my bike and car took me home followed by van ...

Was only few miles from home thankfully but never got names of good Samaritans but placed a thank you ad in local paper in case ...

Other side of the coin I went down on another roundabout year or so later greasy road .. My rear light pinged off no damage to me bar bruises/skin off and I heard the revving of an engine right behind me I quickly jumped up grabbing bits of light and made eye contact with motorist to acknowledge a bit of thanks for not running me over ...

Jeez he looked at me like vermin as I was holding him up then tore off shaking his head 🙄

For me this kind of behaviour is most apparent, most often, when people react to mentally ill people in public places.

Pointing and deriding someone having an episode, for example out in the middle of winter in a dressing gown putting one's shoes in and out of a skip, is not being decent.

I appreciate most people would find these situations intimidating, but I'm continually shocked by the lack of engagement.

I was knocked off a pedestrian/cycle path by a motorist who drove straight out of his gate and across the path without looking, leaving me with a broken hand, cuts, bruises and a bashed up bike. I forced him to give me his insurance details. His passenger then got out and said "Right, you've said sorry. I need to get to work". They just drove off and left me standing there. No offer of help, or any concern about what I was going to do next. Some people just don't care.

Good on you for helping the poor lad.

A few weeks ago I'd just got home in the car and as I was putting the key in the house door I heard a screetch and a thump. I ran to the road to find a chap untangling himself from his bike. He'd been riding along and suddenly slipped on something was dumped on the kerb. Poor guy couldn't work out what had happened, it was just him, his bike, the kerb and the cycle lane.

I brought him in for some tea and biscuits and he washed the gravel out of his palms. He was still a bit shaken 20 min later when he walked home, 200m up the road.

I shudder to think what it's like to be hit by a car.

Spoke to the boys dad last night, he's on the mend and having an op today. Still can't remember a thing.

The amazing thing was he couldn't remember the passcode to unlock his phone but he could give me his home number so I could call home. His dad said he has trouble remembering that at the best of times.

Police were there this morning stopping cars and it was on the local news website so hopefully the driver will be caught.

Story is now on the bbc site so hopefully the driver will be caught.

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-30696433 ]Boy injured in hit and run[/url]

A few years ago above Cilcain,near Mold, Merida,cycle race, chap went over the bars broke wrist he said, so i walked him and his bike to nearest road, probably about 100 cyclists in the race passed us going the other way, and almost all of them slowed or stopped and asked if we where ok, First Aid marshal, then picked him and took him to hospital.

Gary_M - Member
I was first to him then a woman came to help but every other **** just drove on.

When my mother worked in a supermarket there was an old fella had a heart attack in the store so they cordoned off the area while the first aiders tried to help him until the ambulance arrived, needless to say some customers voiced their concerns that this was a major inconvenience to their shopping.

My response to such people would probably get me on a disciplinary or the sack.

[i]If 2 people were already attending him I'd just walk by, me standing around aimless isn't going to help things. [/i]

As I've already said people drove by [b]before[/b] I got to the child. I wouldn't have expected everyone to get out their cars to help after he was being attended to, but I also wouldn't expect people to squeeze their car between a kerb and an injured person on the road either.

Why would you expect anybody else to stop (unless they were a doctor/nurse etc. who could add something over and above what the lad was already receiving)?

if you don't stop, how do you know whether or not you could 'add something' over and above what is already at hand. For all you know the person already attending may not have a mobile phone/no reception and hasn't called for help.

Why would you assume you can't help?

Thank goodness you did Gary, well done. I like to think I would do the same thing.
I have stopped and offered people lifts when they are are walking along a stretch of road that has no bus stops/house etc and are clearly walking a couple of miles to the end of it (Brimstage road being an example) I have also stopped near bus stops when I have seen young children (stupid parents!) waiting for busses alone etc and watched until they got on the bus. Is it bizarre? As a parent I feel protective of children but I suspect it would be difficult to explain to observers. Am I the only one?

f 2 people were already attending him I'd just walk by, me standing around aimless isn't going to help things.

Your attempts at being a smart arse are clouding your ability to read. I dont think we are talking about rubber necking here but I think the human response is to see if there is anything you can do first then bugger off if you are surplus to requirements.

When I was at school(70/80's)we were warned about that London place usually with the example that if you fell down in the street nobody would help just walk on by.

I imagine the UK as a whole now is a lot more insular London was then.

That said I reckon someone laid in the road injured would bring traffic to standstill pretty quickly just about anywhere in my town.

jon1973 - Member

if you don't stop, how do you know whether or not you could 'add something' over and above what is already at hand. For all you know the person already attending may not have a mobile phone/no reception and hasn't called for help.

Why would you assume you can't help?

I dont imagine the poster will have time to answer in their incredibly busy and important life, afteral they wouldnt stop to help and dont even have time to read the OP post properly.

but I also wouldn't expect people to squeeze their car between a kerb and an injured person on the road either.

If 2 people were already attending him I'd just walk by, me standing around aimless isn't going to help things.

The 2 people attending might need your help. How would you know without asking?

I posted the other week about [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/please-be-careful-on-them-roads-people-rta-content ]my missus helping a motorcycle crash[/url] that happened right in front of us.

We were fortunate that LOTS of people stopped and did useful non-medical things like warning and controlling the other traffic, clearing debris, bringing blankets and jackets, consoling the uninjured driver and the victim's relatives, directing ambulances etc.

(And yes, there were a few tw**s that beeped their horns and tried to squeeze though! 😐 )

Turned out to be a heavily intoxicated bloke so TBF people may have seen him stumbling about then fall but not wanted to get involved with an obviously drunk person

Worth pointing out that a hypoglycaemic diabetic can look a lot like a drunk person, but the consequences can be very bad if no one realises.

But even if he is just pissed, leaving him to his fate lying in the middle of the road is pretty harsh!

I helped a lady on the tube once who collapsed, she was very pregnant and for a short time had no pulse. Eventually one other person reluctantly helped me get her comfortable. I pulled the chain and someone punched me as they would be late for work. Lowest. Point. Ever.

Macinblack are you serious?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember the motorcyclist lying half in a 40mph dual carriageway/lights junction with me and a bus driver over him whilst all his passengers sat on the bus and others just stared.

Recently a woman sat frozen shaking at the wheel with nerves as she couldn't drive any further in the snow over the moors with cars passing her and her two young sons by. Her poor husband had to drive from Burnley 20miles to come and get them!

On the above though 300m's down the road a woman had ploughed on straight on down a banking and a Toyota Hi-lux was bouncing around trying to tow it out with two other cars parked alongside assisting. So there were people 'on scene'helping people out.

NZCol - ****ing hell fire.

GrahamS - Member
The 2 people attending might need your help. How would you know without asking?

fwiw, I've helped people in the past, not like I wouldn't help if needed! 😆

Could probably assess the situation quite easily from a distance tbh.

Of course. Silly me. I forgot to take into account your psychic ability 🙄

NZCol I remember on the tube in London you could count the amount of times on one finger how many people would give their seat up to a pregnant, older etc fellow passenger.

Story is now on the bbc site so hopefully the driver will be caught.

I forgot you were local to me Gary, I heard about this this morning. Hope he's on the mend.

I passed a queue of traffic that was held up at some lights near me last year. The driver at the front was slumped over the wheel, but no one behind could see and were just (somewhat understandably) beeping their horns after he failed to move through a full cycle of the lights.

I stopped as quickly as I could on the other side of the road, blocking one lane of traffic on my side...then ran back down towards the guy (who I presumed had had a heart attack or similar). However, as I approached his car, it started moving and he drove off! I couldn't believe it! Everyone must have thought I was some mentalist for running down the middle of all the traffic, then about turning and running back again 🙂

Glad he was OK mind you (and that I didn't have to attempt any ropey first aid)

If you go directly to the emigration thread that was the net result of the incident - 3 weeks later I had moved to NZ as I needed some perspective on life. It was quite sad really. She was OK once i managed to track her down.

GrahamS - Member
Could probably assess the situation quite easily from a distance tbh.
Of course. Silly me. I forgot to take into account your psychic ability

From across the street, I could easily look and see a guy lying with a broken leg, one person talking to injured person, and someone on their phone to an ambulance.

In that situation, what do you expect me to do? It's covered as far as I can tell.

You seem to think I have some kind of super human broken bone healing powers! 😆

yeh he's on the mend peterfile. Having an op on his wrist today and obviously very sore but he's okay.

I've just got the exact time I was at the scene from the garmin file of my ride so passed that to the police. Driver of car in front saw him walking, I saw him lying on the road so I know it happened at that exact time. I was looking behind as I move to the outside lane at that point so must have happened as I was moving over.

Hopefully it'll prove useful.

In that situation, what do you expect me to do? It's covered as far as I can tell.

ASK THEM if they need help so you KNOW if it is covered, rather than just guessing?? 😯

What he said for obvious reasons

GrahamS - Member
In that situation, what do you expect me to do? It's covered as far as I can tell.
ASK THEM if they need help so you KNOW if it is covered, rather than just guessing??

A few weeks ago I was walking through Bank tube station in the evening rush hour. One half of the circular corridor just below ground level was blocked off by a couple of staff asking people to go the other way round the loop.

About 10 metres away someone was being given CPR by a couple of emergency staff, clearly visible to me and anyone else nearby. Despite this, people were queueing up to abuse the staff members asking them to re-route (which took an extra 30 seconds).

And just get in the road? I have a brain, I can tell if someone is competent or not.

Wait.. so you are saying in your fictional scenario that the road might be dangerous? Sounds like those 2 people could really do with an extra pair of hands to warn the traffic and keep them safe.

I'm sure someone else will be along in a minute. Walk on by.

GrahamS - Member
And just get in the road? I have a brain, I can tell if someone is competent or not.
Wait.. so you are saying in your fictional scenario that the road might be dangerous? Sounds like those 2 people could really do with an extra pair of hands to warn the traffic and keep them safe.

I'm sure someone else will be along in a minute. Walk on by.

You're a bit touchy about this, don't you understand the concept of assessing a situation, if I felt I could help I would, if not, I walk on by.

I honestly don't understand your issue with that.

Your a bit touchy about this,

I am impressed by your long range ability to asses situations without asking the people involved I hope it better than your arguments and jokes 😉

don't you understand the concept of assessing the situation

I do - and that would involve speaking to people, not guessing.

I honestly don't understand your issue with that.

Then this whole thread must be bewildering to you.

we'll agree to disagree.

TBH I've passed by a couple of situations - both times in the car.

Both times my young son has been in the car and I deemed him to be of greater importance as there were already other civies there helping. You have to call it quickly- stop, you contribute to a problem and block emergency services etc. Also- how can you stop your own passengers becoming a risk/at risk to rubberneckers?

Bit of an update, driver has been reported to the PF. So thats good news.

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-30778232 ]Man reported over Newton Mearns hit-and-run which hurt boy[/url]