What would you do?
Just under four in 10 motorists would stop and offer assistance to a driver who has experienced a car breakdown, according to results from a new poll.
Over 5,000 motorists were surveyed by AA Rescue, the breakdown assistance wing of AA Ireland.
38.79% of respondents indicated that in the event of encountering a broken down vehicle, they would be “very likely” to offer assistance to the driver.
Meanwhile, a further 35.59% said that they would be “somewhat” likely to offer help but admitted to having some reservations about doing so.
Almost 55% of those surveyed noted that concerns about their own personal safety represents a key factor in preventing them from offering assistance.
16.91%, meanwhile, “strongly agreed” that they would not stop due to fear of jeopardising their safety, while 37.41% of people somewhat agreed that this was the case.
“Breakdowns are almost an unavoidable part of motoring life as even if you follow all the manufacturer’s servicing guidelines things will unfortunately go wrong,” says Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs.
“With this in mind it’s important for motorists to consider who they would be able to contact for assistance if they were to have a car issue as there is at least some reluctance on the part of passing motorists to offer help.”
Faughnan adds that people ultimately have to prioritise their own personal safety and that it’s understandable why they would choose to do so.
“However, breakdowns can be a huge cause of stress so even offering the affected motorist use of your phone could be a huge help,” he concludes.
Elsewhere, the survey found an increased willingness on the behalf of respondents to offer assistance to an elderly driver who had suffered a breakdown.
When asked about a hypothetical breakdown affecting an elderly driver, 54.35% of respondents stated they would be very likely to stop and offer assistance, with a further 30.07% describing themselves as somewhat likely to do so.
“Many of us will have experienced a breakdown at some point in the past so we have a degree of sympathy any time we come across one and will clearly be willing to offer assistance in some cases,” says Faughnan.
“That said, individual motorists need to give some thought to their own breakdown planning, particularly if they’re not highly knowledgeable in terms of basic car repairs.”
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