Recovery/Towing Random Folks in the Streets

I'm with you on this and it may well be an age thing. In over fifty years of driving, I've had a few problems and someone has always stopped to offer aid so I try to do the same.

I usually carry spare cans of fuel and water, jump starter, compressor, patch kit and recovery gear and can usually get folks back on their way without too much effort. As to liability, it is a concern and I try to allow for what I perceive to be driver competency and vehicle/situational conditions. I'll change your tire but hand you the lug wrench to re-check the tightness. I'll pull you out of a ditch but only after you hook the strap to your vehicle in a manner that I consider safe. The missus is a RN with trauma experience so we'll also stop at accidents if first responders aren't present. Never had a problem.

For those still concerned, check out "Good Samaritan" laws.

 

Where's the best place to attach a soft shackle?

 

not an easy answer as it depends on the vehicle. Most of the time of your just trying to pull someone out or up a hill you can put it on an A-arm or a rear axle. If said car is REALLY buried I would look into maybe a more fixed point on the vehicle.

I use to drive tow truck so this is why I decided to answer is I have some experience with it.
That said if you don’t feel comfortable in the moment I wouldn’t do it. I would also have a conversation with the owner of the car and tell them exactly what you are going to do and if they don’t feel comfortable with it over then a different option.

 

One thing I have learned is that if you help someone they might just remember and help someone else later.

I guess it really just comes down to how you were raised and your own sense of responsibility.

I’m well on the back side of life. I can’t say I’ve ever regretted helping someone. And I’m pretty sure others that have helped me feel the same.

Frankly, it’s just a much better place this way.

 

I think those of us older got into habit long before Cell phones .

In those days you waited till the police showed up if you were in a location you saw police more then once a month.

I was glad to get help and help others back in those days .

Reminds me of the day a friends daughters car caught fire those that called 911 and listened to her screams My friend was never the same went from a Social drinker to daily drinker Liver failure after about 2 years

 

Watch Matt’s Off road recovery on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCwdVOry0oNF9WIe_3uCfz9Q

Some cars have removable tow hooks, but otherwise I generally seem him use a soft shackle or a pair of hooks on the suspension or frame members.

i had a similar experience once when I came across a poor kid in the ditch. I had a strap and hitch shackle, but I could not find anywhere obvious to hook onto his car with confidence of not breaking something. I offered him my phone to call a tow truck, but he insisted on calling his father who wouldn’t pick up. I ended up leaving him after waiting a good 15 minutes.

Afterwards I googled on how to recover a modern unibody sedan and learned a few things. If I had had a soft shackle and more confidence I might have been able to attach it to his a-arm and yank him out.

i had a bad experience doing a recovery in my youth. We had a log chain pull through a hole in frame and and deposit itself in the rear window of my buddy’s truck. No one got hurt, but it scared the crap out of us.

 

Buys truck, recovery gear, ropes, snatch, boards, chains, winch

...then suggest to drive past.

self server.

sad.

know how to use the gear you own, problem solved.

 

There is a very big difference between when we grew up and nowadays:

Cell phones.

I grew up in a similar way. Growing up in a rural area n the 80s, if you passed someone, you were probably the 1st person they saw all day so of course you stop.

That’s not really the case anymore.

I’m not saying I’m not willing to stop, but honestly there simply isn’t that “need” like there was 30+ years ago. The most I would be able to do is maybe assess the damage, or make a call for them, and that’s only if they happen to be one of the 50 people left on the planet who don't have a cell phone.

There is also risk assessment. I am much less likely to stop on the highway to help someone when I have my family with me.

I will absolutely stop, and have stopped, to help people who broke down in the middle of the road, and help push the car to the shoulder, or even provide a traffic block with my vehicle while they limp to the side. But if I see someone on the side of the road talking on their cell phone, it’s pretty pointless to stop. I’m not a mechanic or a tow truck driver.

Of course this applies to on road situations.

Off road is different entirely. I stop all the time, turns out it’s usually because dude had to pee, lol.

If they’re stuck, you do what you can to help.

 

I've helped a lot of people over the years. But you've got to understand your limitations. Most trucks and SUV's have decent points to attach a strap. Most cars do not. If there is any chance that I could make things worse, damage something, or get someone hurt I'll advise them to get professional help. But quite often in snow all it takes is 1-2 people pushing for a few feet to get things moving.

 

I'm one of those who always stops to help people. Maybe its just a way of life here in rural East TN, we help each other. I've recovered well over a dozen stranded travelers on I-26 between Asheville NC and Erwin TN in the mountain wilderness areas , who were stuck in the snow or ice and did not have cell phone service. There are so many different scenarios, it is impossible to give proper guidance on a forum like this. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being easiest pull from a mud puddle or snow bank, and 10 being extreme difficult..... I would say 90% of my encounters with other travelers are often an easy 1 or 2 on the scale. Most folks just need a light tug out of a bad spot to get going. I use a big old yellow recovery strap for most of my pulls, secured around an axle or frame point. A lot of newer vehicles have a little door/port cover on the front and rear bumper, and there will be a little screw ring thingy (fixed recovery point) under the spare tire that screws into the hole on the bumper. (looks something like the image below). IF you can find this, use it always, fixed recovery points are always a better choice, never a bumper or trim or other exterior panels. I've even used a spare tire as a cushion between my front bumper and the rear bumper of another car to give a little push.