Would you stop if you witnessed an accident on the motorway?

mcfifi

You should have stopped. You were a witness to a serious accident.

And even if you're sure the people were alive, maybe they were hurt, or needed cut out of the car.

Sorry - I think you behaved irresponsibly.

zskip62

I can tell by your wording you're in the UK,but in Texas it's the law to stop and render aid.Is that not how it is over there?

Dirtydog

As a rule if I see other people stopping then I continue on my way.... If I am the first on the scene then I stop and try to help.. Also if I approach an accident that I can tell doesn't need my help I continue at a safe speed , It really burns my rump when rubber neckers almost come to a complete stop just too look... they need to get on about their business and not cause another accident...

yes always stop I had an illegal alien hit my car while sitting at a stop light and then the guy drove off I had to follow him to get him to stop. Another person sitting at the light also followed the guy driving tried to switch spots with the passenger the whole thing was a mess but if it wasn't for the other witness I would have had problems with the police beliving my story. I will always help out

Longjohn

You do have a civic duty to be a witness, but it is your choice if you want to be one :)

missree

in the real world yes because you were a vital witness, however, stopping on the motorway is dangerous so i probably wouldn't.

DARREN A

my taxi boke down and i got ramed of the road by a hgv and was badly hurt 3 people stoped and they were witness to what happend now the driver of the hgv is ging to be prosacuted if there was no witness then he could have got away with it i am very greatfull for the people that stoped to help me if they wouldnt have stoped i could have died i dont think i need to say any more

Lou

you should have waited you are a witness to what happened.

Adze

In the UK it is against the law to stop on a motorway
and also very dangerous to do so.
You cannot pull over on the hard shoulder as this is also against
the law,and you would be blocking emergency and police vehicles from getting to that or other accidents.
If you do stop on the motorway you will be an accident
waiting to happen.
But i would stop to help.

manon9325

You could have waited to give evidence to the police aboutwhat you saw, but apart from that....

iain

I think you should have stopped, all help is useful and, perhaps,
even life saving at times like this one.

one_mr_dj

NO you should not have waited! You did the wright thing. In some States if you witness an accident and don't stop you could be heavily fined and even arrested for leaving the scene of an accident.Besides that what if it were you and you needed help,and had to wait for someone to make a decision to stop and get help, you could be there for hours, but thank God there are people like you that has enough courage and foresight to take time to stop. THANKS FOR BEING YOU.

DARLENE C

i stopped at a rtc the other night, i did not witness anything, but went to help. i am first aid trained (st john ambulance), the police took my name and contact details, but i told i had not seen anything just stopped to help out. i left the seen with the thanks of police, fire and ambulance personnel.

if you stop at a rtc, you should put your hazard lights on and reflective jacket ( i always carry one), for your own safety and wait for the emergency services to arrive and get out of your car on the side that is not on the road.

Dave

I would and I have. You could of been a valuable witness,the people could of been hurt very badly. Yes you should of waited, I would want someone to wait if it was me. Do to others as you want done to yourself. I live by that rule!

Kels

I would have pulled over if possible and called 911 to make sure they were ok.

My friend broke his neck last year in what looked like a minor accident and we didn't find out until he got to the hospital that his neck was broken.

If you can't stop please at least call for help.

Natalie

You done what you thought was right at the time although you were endangering your own life by stopping on the motorway.

maddog

I would have. Sometimes the recollection of multiple witnesses is required to substantiate the driver's accounting of what happened. You know, after going airborne and slamming back down, even if the occupants of the car weren't injured, their memory of the sequence of events leading up to the accident may be altered.

Paul D

Yes, as a witness to an accident you have a civic duty to give details to the local police. If it is a serious accident you may have details that the police cannot know ie you were cut up by the same driver etc.

Also the road ahead of you may have debris, so it is not a good idea to move unless you can see there is no debris in the road.

The thing to be aware of is your safety and those of others around you. It's no good stopping if you are going to cause more problems or don't help. Remember you can't help if you get hurt or killed yourself.

amber_xx66

yes i would have stopped with out a doubt and so should you have done

norman7774

Assuming that I am in the United States that is.. and in that case, I do not know.. really.. It is sad here in the U.S. because if we saw someone who was in an accident and tried to help them, they might later come back and sue me for helping them.. perh aps(what they think.. ) in a wrong way.. Or with our archaic police system, I might stop to render aid and give accounts and the stupid police might eventually blame me for the accident.. that is the sad way it is in the U.S. So.. in all likelihood, I would NOT stop because of my fear of being sued

rookethorne

It's not necessary to stop if you are not directly involved, however it is generally greatly appreciated if you report the matter to your local police station in good time.

Too many onlookers stopping on a motorway makes it very difficult for the emergency services to attend quickly.

Sami V

Sure, I always do so but depending on traffic conditions!

Rick G

well it depends on the condition of the occupants. If they were ok then they may have been able to vacate the vehicle but if not, the emergency services may have been needed. You were right to check immedidately because otherwise, you would not have known if the emergency services were needed or not

TDCWH

Me,
You should have checked to make sure the people were ok. The most important thing is the well being of the driver and passingers.
TDCWH

ANF

You should have stopped as there may have been an injury which required an ambulance. If you had stopped to check the vehicle might not have been movable safely and need the police to be in attendance.If all was well you could still have contacted the police from home to offer your witness statement.
Have a happy Christmas and remember not to drink and drive.

debi_0712

Hmmm, if you were the only witness to the accident, i would say yes. Some day you may be in a wreck and wish someone had witnessed it and stuck around to assist iin police report.

Peter M

yes I think its better to stop and at least give your details

romore26

you stopping could have made the situation worse, say if another car had piled into the back of you. cant you contact the police andd let them know you witnessed the accident, at least to make your self feel better.

NONAME

if you spoke to them while checking you did enough - if you just loooked through the window to see if they were alive you should have stayed longer

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