Today I had an unexpected opportunity to conduct a little social experiment.
I was sitting on my front porch, fully charged laptop at the ready, looking at posts about Orange on Facebook and the town website when I heard a crumbling sound from the street. Directly in front of my home is what I consider one of the most dangerous intersections in town.
A two-way stop with an intersecting yield from one direction and a speedway free-for-all stretch of road so on any given day, anything goes. For 43 years I’ve been watching people blow through the stop sign on the straightaway and listening to impatient jerks screaming at anyone who dares to stop and look at the intersecting traffic at the yield sign before moving forward.
The drivers coming out of the sideroad at the other stop sign take their lives into their own hands every day as they check traffic in three different locations before pulling out.
Now, back to the crumbling sound. A red SUV stopped at the curve of the side road, and the driver stepped out, looked at his right front tire, then returned to the driver’s side where he retrieved his cell phone, popped the rear gate, and thought about his next move.
Knowing the dangers of this intersection, I envisioned everything that could go wrong if he stayed where he had parked. I called over and asked if I could help. He answered, “I have a flat.”
“You’re in a rather precarious position,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to stand here and make sure no one hits you, and anyone coming this way can get out safely.”
The man was obviously not expecting to have to change a tire when he left his home this morning. He was wearing shorts and a white linen shirt, yet he kept his sense of humor as he got his spare tire, tire iron, etc, and began changing the tire.
I stood behind the car and watched for traffic, waving on any cars whose line of sight was blocked by his vehicle as soon as it was safe for them to pull out.
I offered to help this fellow because I didn’t want to see him get rear-ended, and it was nothing to take a few minutes to assist other drivers pulling out of the side road when they couldn’t see oncoming traffic. I gave the man wet wipes when he was done so he wouldn’t soil his white shirt or steering wheel with his greasy hands. It didn’t take any effort, I got a thank you, and I was happy to know I had done my good deed for the day.
Social Experiment
Here’s where my social experiment kicks in — how many drivers do you think asked the old lady if she needed help?
Of the more than 150 cars that passed most drivers could only see me, an older woman standing behind a disabled car, and not the 40-something man changing the tire on the other side.
I was standing behind a car, near a dangerous intersection. Across the street, my dog was sitting quietly in the shade on the front lawn watching me. Between 150-200 vehicles drove by, and ONE young man in his late 20s slowed down to a stop in the free-for-all lane to ask if I needed help.
I was pleasantly surprised and said, “All set, thank you.”
How busy are our lives that we can’t take a second to check in on someone who may need help? In this case, I didn’t need anything, but he didn’t know that. Yet he was the 1 out of 150+ who cared enough to ask.
Think about that the next time you’re out and you see something out of the ordinary. You don’t have to get out of your car and possibly put your life in danger, but ask if you can help, and offer to call someone. A little kindness goes a long way.