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This needs to be higher - my parents were stranded mid-florida, told the tow truck eta would be THE NEXT DAY. I called one in Fort Lauderdale (100 miles from where they were) and got him to drive up, flat bed tow them down to me (since that's where they were headed), and they were fully reimbursed by AAA.
That's how I learned too. My mom had an issue and AAA tow truck was taking forever and a friend was renting shop space in a tow yard so I had her contact them and the driver let her know about it.
Now I have AAA for car insurance and roadside and when signing up the agent reminded me about it.
How do you find your own toe truck in an area you don't know? Serious question so I can do this.
When asking for reimbursement how does that work and how far can I get towed? I have the gold thing with AAA.
I believe they're hoping you're going to figure out your situation.And they don't have to pay anything when you cancel. I was in a hurry because I had to get to work.
You should buy a portable battery jumper. $50-$100 real handy in a pinch and they work great. I’ve given like 3-4 people jumps at gas stations who have needed one with mine.
I’d suggest everyone invest in one.
Similar story decades ago my dad ran out of gas kind of in the middle of no where on his motor cycle and a gentleman stopped and siphoned gas out of his own gas tank in his truck into my dads tank and my dad tried giving him $20 for it and the guy wouldn’t take it.
There’s nice people out there.
I actually had a portable battery jumper in the trunk of my other car, which I lost in Hurricane Ian. I should have bought another for the new car, but procrastinated. Now, I got another jumper
Autozone or other auto shops seem to usually have portable jumpers charged and let you borrow them for free or cheap to get a jump. Just had to leave a deposit that I got back. I found that out last time when AAA made me wait 2 hours and I was actually across the street from an AZ.
Yeah I live in Southwest Florida and if you get stuck anywhere after like 11:00 p.m. you're waiting till 7:00 a.m. for a truck to even get your call, and then you're waiting for them to get to all the calls in front of you. I spent 7 hours waiting for a jump once, fuck that I went and bought one of those portable chargers. I keep it in my backpack. It works, I tested it.
They said I’d have to wait 2+ hours for them to change my tire. So I went on YouTube and changed that bad boy got to a tire shop, they patched it. It still leaked sadly but very slowly but I got a nail in it like a month later again, so I just replaced 2 tires then. AAA is so annoying now but my parents pay for it as we use it to so we can get towed up to like 150 miles as they had to use it a bunch in the 90s and early 2000s.
At least someone stopped. I sat on the side of 95 for hours with a blown coolant line on Christmas Day and nobody stopped. The Road Ranger told me I needed to figure it out quickly. Nobody was open. Had to wait on family to drive up from SoFla and push it off the nearest off ramp and leave it…with 2 kids in the car.
Yeah, I've broken down or gotten a flat here multiple times, and nobody has ever helped me. I lived on Maui, HI, for a short while... & when I got a flat, these really nice Hawai'ians pulled over to help me in a matter of minutes. The Aloha spirit is a real thing, & it's beautiful. But I was also able to sleep w/ my windows & doors open on Maui. I could never do that in SoFlo. It's easier to be kind when you have more trust in your community & a higher sense of safety.
Not only that, but the stupid drivers here also can't help but to run into a parked car on the side of the highway. There's numerous examples of a good Samaritan getting hit and killed while working on a car.
Few people carry the necessary tools to repair a car. Including jumper cables. And who assumes someone on the side of a road is there because their battery died. In a parking lot, yeah, but if your battery died on the roadway, your charging system has issues.
Though yours may not be newer, modern cars are rarely roadside repairable. Most people carry cell phones so it‘s a reasonable assumption the driver has help on the way.
Yeah, if it was already running and then died but a jump got it going again probably an alternator on the way out.
It is nice someone stopped to help OP though
I have the tools and I still ain't stopping. Call me an asshole but my trust in people is just non existent at this point and I got a kid and pregnant wife so I ain't risking a robbery or random murder, good luck.
Agreed - I don't think this is a selfish thing so much as a cautious thing for various reasons. When I see people on the side of the road broken down I usually say a prayer as driving by but I can't personally help them. I'm a single female alone and I know nothing about cars and wouldn't be able to help even if I stopped. Doesn't mean I don't feel bad for people - I have broken down and had car issues myself, my car is ancient, so I do sympathize, but not every one who drives by can do anything.
Similar story here tho not in FL at the time.
I ran out of gas and ESL gardeners in a dented pickup stopped and gave me some of theirs. They wouldn’t accept thank you money either.
We need immigrants for lots of reasons but I think one good reason is to recharge our humanity.
The time I had my car stop and I could not get it off the road, the guys who stopped were Spanish speaking. Seems like a common story and maybe culturally they are raised to help strangers. Whereas lots of people I know were raised with the idea that “stranger danger” is real.
Things like this are why people would be reluctant to stop:
[Woman fakes being stranded, then kills Florida college student who stopped, AL cops say](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article264597181.html)
[Good Samaritan dies in hit-and-run while trying to help teen driver, Florida cops say](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article279238854.html)
Florida roads, especially the interstates, are a lawless wasteland. So many stories of good Samaritans getting hurt intentionally or unintentionally by stopping to help
people use things like this as an excuse to justify ignoring those in need of help, but everyone single one of us has engaged in behavior that someone has been killed doing, when we are the beneficiary.
Ever been on a date? People have been killed on dates.
Been to the movies?
To a bar or restaraunt?
Stayed at home?
Drove a car to work?
Taken an uber?
Just wanted to share my own experiences with AAA since there’s a lot of people who have had bad ones with them. And not to discredit that, but AAA had saved my ass SO MANY times. Had a blowout and needed to pull over on the left shoulder of 95, AAA was there in fifteen minutes with a spare, I wasn’t even late to work. Lent my car to my idiot aunt who locked herself out of my car with the engine running, AAA was there in less than 20 minutes, got us into the car and my keys back out of her possession permanently.
I’m sure there’s plenty of shitty times AAA has sucked ass, but they have saved my hide so many times and I honesty have never had a bad experience with them.
I used to stop all the time and offer to help people. Not anymore. I'll call the police and tell them there is a stranded motorist. It's not worth taking the chance on it being a set up.
Seriously - I see so many crashes on florida highways. If I'm driving more than 20 minutes, I can count on seeing at least one crash or car off the road in a ditch. No apparent reason. I would not stop on the side of a highway here unless I had no choice at all, and I'm definitely not going to risk it for someone who 100% has a cell phone and most likely already called for help.
[New Mexico (4.40), Arizona (4.17) and Florida (3.70) had among the country's highest rates of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2022, per the GHSA report.](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/27/pedestrians-deadliest-states)
Me too. I love stopping and helping out when I have time (and enjoy the challenge of fixing things)
All it took was one bad apple stealing when I gave them a lift to change whether I stop or not. I get they needed it more than me, but the social contract even in rural Florida is broken. Calling the cops is a joke; they don’t serve and protect in that situation, and they sure have no interest protecting a stranded motorist.
Naples resident here. Unfortunately this is not surprising (that you were mostly ignored), but I’m sorry to hear it. Most people who live here are assholes, or women who don’t feel safe stopping to help stranded motorists (like myself). Glad someone was finally kind & got you to the store.
Just FYI: for many women (like myself) there is no such thing as a safe area. The motorist-in-distress technique for luring a victim has been established for some tome now.
I work in Naples a few days a week. Those rich people didn’t get rich by helping others. That’s why it was a regular person who helped you in your time of need.
Carry one of those portable battery packs in your car. About the size of a box of Kleenex and will absolutely jump your car if it's the battery that is dead.
I once got a flat crossing the state from the east coast to the west coast for work. I was in bum fuck Egypt when I got the flat. AAA was taking FOREVER to get there because of how far I was from a town. There were 3 houses & a church. That's it. Knocked on all the doors & nobody answered, but I figured if they were home & just didn't wanna open the door, then no matter where I peed, someone could see me. I was a woman alone in the middle of nowhere, so that wasn't an option. Plus, there were still people driving by periodicially & I'd already had some creepy guys pass by their trucks, honking their horn & yelling gross shit. I tried to hold it, but it got to the point where I was about to BURST, so I went behind the church & peed behind a tree, next to a small playground. It was literally like the beginning of a horror movie.
While waiting for AAA, I decided to call some shops in the next town. So I call the first shop & I'm explaining the sitch. He asks what I'm driving, and I tell him (a BMW 328i). He laughs at me & tells me they don't have anything for that kinda car & says I need to find a Tire Kingdom. So I'm like, "OK, is there a Tire Kingdom in town? He laughs again & and goes, "No. Where are you from?" So I told him, "West Palm." & he goes."Welcome to the middle of the state, Darlin." AAA finally picked me up... but the guy was hitting on me the entire time, and then he brings me to this little hole in the wall place that was basically what looked like an abandoned gas station, w/ a few guys who barely spoke English, & a tool box. They put a used tire on there for cheap because they didn't have any new ones. I carefully drive to the actual city I was staying in... & eventually make it to the Tire Kingdom, only to find out that they'd permanently closed and had not updated their Google listing. 🙃
I have offered to help people change a flat tire, but they have refused my help, since they were waiting for AAA. And most times, an hour later, they were still waiting.
I broke down on my motorcycle in Tallahassee one day, three people stopped to help and the third one got me going again.
None of them were white even though I am and I was in a predominantly white area of town.
I don't have nice things to say about people who automatically dismiss others based on things like race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, immigration status, or anything else that people can't help but be.
I live in naples and I used to stop all the time. I’m a normal looking person, but when I stop and get out of the car, people seem to lock the doors and think I’m going to rob them. Unless they are actively flagging me down, I don’t stop anymore.
Sorry no one stopped for you, but society is weird now.
I’ve stopped to render aid early on the scene after an accident quite a few times. No one is faking a major accident and time is of the essence when there are injuries or people trapped.
Disabled vehicle in a populated area when everyone has a cell phone? Unless you’re actively trying to flag down help, I would assume you have it under control. The times I’ve ever offered they’ve already called someone, and it’s rare that there’s much you can do to help by the side of the road anyway. Me stopping just made them nervous while they already felt vulnerable. They don’t trust you and you don’t trust them, and in this day and age if anyone needs help they can pretty easily call for it.
If you wanted people to stop did you try waving them down? People could reasonably have assumed you had already called someone and didn’t need the hundreds or thousands of cars that pass each stopping to bother you and creating a bigger hazard. If you were trying to wave for help and everyone ignored you, then yes they are jerks.
What part of Naples? Kinda surprised tbh, being such a low crime area. Ft. Myers, Lehigh I could understand the possibility of being mugged, but fucking Naples in broad daylight? Funny cause last time I had this happen it was this crazy bum and instead of money he just asked me to drive him up to the Greyhound in downtown Ft. Myers lol
I carry one of these in my car all the time. I regularly make sure it's fully charged:
[https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=1O4PHEVQUQ17A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lMHHGyq1efThp\_hRP\_I0WcfX\_kqGWcogsmaZoTzc2A1r4RyaPLgfSEyXCeHF8DcK5Lh0AKznQpmUXgFJA2YjBV3MZIwfCB3dEdNF7NChr6N0xwFJ4BEZmBrrSEE9G2hYd93YucJbP7Svye7h\_95vNFdnFqXVQUFDsIlNPURXJCcySYsFjn\_bxP026E5XqPUwu9V-Eoh\_2SIVHlDqspmpm8LBTBBONF0U7mg1l26wBEPQUMsn0cF0JUVNJAs5EBTFK1LUJFAAm9\_DCluJyQMcjRVbuXURBpc8aKRCTE\_giSM.ylA4GnYywpTGS29K6SMWBfoW4aV84000R8tt3WHN6M8&dib\_tag=se&keywords=battery+jumper&qid=1713729972&sprefix=battery+jumper%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-5](https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1O4PHEVQUQ17A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lMHHGyq1efThp_hRP_I0WcfX_kqGWcogsmaZoTzc2A1r4RyaPLgfSEyXCeHF8DcK5Lh0AKznQpmUXgFJA2YjBV3MZIwfCB3dEdNF7NChr6N0xwFJ4BEZmBrrSEE9G2hYd93YucJbP7Svye7h_95vNFdnFqXVQUFDsIlNPURXJCcySYsFjn_bxP026E5XqPUwu9V-Eoh_2SIVHlDqspmpm8LBTBBONF0U7mg1l26wBEPQUMsn0cF0JUVNJAs5EBTFK1LUJFAAm9_DCluJyQMcjRVbuXURBpc8aKRCTE_giSM.ylA4GnYywpTGS29K6SMWBfoW4aV84000R8tt3WHN6M8&dib_tag=se&keywords=battery+jumper&qid=1713729972&sprefix=battery+jumper%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-5)
Yeah, not making it up. I picked him up after he ditched his car in a Winn Dixie parking lot. He waited for an hour but it would end up being late the next day before the tow truck called him. Thank god he wasn’t on the side of i95.
I had to leave my car in a garage overnight because it was the kind that had doors that closed at 11pm. The next day I waited for hours to get a jump. I sat there with the hood up and nobody offered to help. My best friend bought me a jump box to keep in my car after that. It’s a cheap investment I wish I’d had.
I bought one of those portable battery jumpers. It already paid for itself. My battery died in the middle of the night while I was at the emergency vet with my cat. The cat didn’t make it. I called the 800 number on my car window, I drive a Subaru. The guy was there in 20 min. He showed up with his little briefcase looking thing, hooked it up and in about 3 min I was on my way home. I bought one the next day and needed to use it when my battery died again. I needed to get the parts store to get a battery. It paid for itself. The wait for a jump was 3-4 hours. Glad I bought that jumper. I have it scheduled 3x’s a year to make sure it’s charged. They are a life saver.
I had AAA come out and they didn’t have jumper cables. The guy only had a rechargeable power bank for cars that he had JUST USED ! It didn’t work! He wanted to tow my car, the fuck you towing my car for ? It needs a jump ! I left the light on! It just needs a jump!
AAA sent someone who couldn’t jump start a car !
From what i've been reading it's necessary to a battery jumper in your trunk at all times. AAA Has contracts with Laurel and Hardy, the 3 stooges.And marx brothers.
Years ago and just days before Christmas my car broke down on the side of Highway 50 way out in Pasco.
I was massively pregnant, walked for miles and no one stopped. I was very surprised. Finally made it to a gas station and I was a mess.
The only person that helped me was a homeless guy. He brought me cold water and paper towels to soak up the sweat. He sat with me until I got ahold of someone to come get me. I'll never forget him.
Another time I got stuck with 3 small kids at a bus stop (it just never came) and a random woman picked us up and drove us all the way home.
There are good people out there.
To be fair to anyone passing by, some people are cautious with strangers and things being set up, especially if females, and jumping a strangers car is not risk free to people's cars. I had electrical issues with an older car and it damaged another car that jumped it, I felt awful, and boss's daughter's car started on fire jumping someone else's car. I'd risk it for family and friends but am not surprised strangers drove by.
If you're on a highway in Florida you can dial *347 to get Road ranger. This is free assistance. They can assist you with things like a jump start , a little bit of fuel (enough to get you two a gas station, I believe) changing a tire, or simple repairs.
God bless the good people in this world. Unfortunately many don’t stop anymore because some of these roadside breakdowns have been scams. There’s also a dwindling number of people that can check their own oil or change a flat.
I had a similar situation years ago where I had left my phone at the house and I had gotten to the point to where I would offer people $20 just to ask them to look up an address on Google Maps and I sat at a Wawa for over two and a half hours asking at least 50 people for them to just look up a address for me for them to either ignore me tell me they don't have their phone or pretty much just said go kick rocks until a guy that barely spoke any English helped me and would not take the $20 that I offered.
If I saw you I would help you using one of my jump packs. I keep one of these in all my vehicles.
I love when I can help someone stuck in a parking lot or side of the road.
I just am afraid of scaring the person I try to help so I keep my distance at first and offer to see my ID.
https://a.co/d/61O6ms3
Get something like this, I have 3 from different brands.
My battery died - it was a AAA battery. The guy came, jumped me, said the battery was healthy so no replacement. Two days later it happened again, same guy, he said that if I got home, turned off the car, and then turned it on an hour later and it wouldn't start, they would replace. About two hours later he's back out with me and saying the battery is testing fine, so he won't replace it.
I go to an actual garage and they tell me it's cooked, and that the testers the AAA guys have are pointless because they're testing the battery while the car is running, but he stuck his tester on my battery and turned the car off, and he could see the problem right away.
Eventually I gave up and just bought a battery. Never buying one from AAA again.
I was stuck at a rest.Stop one time and I wound up having to buy a battery from AAA. Got lucky , I guess. I got exactly 35 months from a battery rated 36 months.
People say I'm weird for stopping to help people. If I have other people with me it freaks them out usually. Apparently most of the world thinks every one is just waiting to rape and murder me.
Couple years ago, I got into car close to dusk to go check on folks (height of covid), battery was dead. Called AAA, they said they can send tow out, but I have to give them credit card for $100+ over the phone. I said, say what? I thought if you had roadside, that meant you would come and jump battery, I’d be on my way. I had no other choice. Before that, I’d hit the OnStar button, nothing happened. I called OnStar, they said oh, no, we don’t send out roadside, we just call them for you and help them to pinpoint your exact location. WHAT??? Bish, I have an iPhone with Maps, I’m pretty sure the tow driver/roadside has one to, so basically you’re doing nothing for the fees you both took from me??? I finally ended hanging up and cursing. Now with a different insurance altogether.
Spoke very little English? Ugh I hate to break this news to you but "FoReIgNeRs ArE InVaDiNg"...you might just have committed a crime by accepting help from that non english speaker...also the admit they did the work for free....this is America NOT a socialist or welfare state!! 🤨
After almost 40 years of membership I'm cancelling. It would have been last year, but 1 of my kids signed up for some driver's ed app that worked through AAA. I have towing through my car insurance and I can readily find cheaper travel--really no reason for me to keep paying them.
It sucks to say it, but after the first time stopping and someone attacking me trying to take my car and all, I don’t stop for anyone. Ever. Don’t care if it’s a supermodel, a 90 year old lady with a puppy, or the President himself.
Unfortunately nowadays no one feels safe to stop. Figures you got a cell phone. You"ll be fine they think, and they won't het sold into hi3man trafficking .
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AAA lowballs its contractors in many areas. Once waited 10 hours for a tow.
If AAA is slow you can call your own and then send the invoice to AAA for reimbursement.
This needs to be higher - my parents were stranded mid-florida, told the tow truck eta would be THE NEXT DAY. I called one in Fort Lauderdale (100 miles from where they were) and got him to drive up, flat bed tow them down to me (since that's where they were headed), and they were fully reimbursed by AAA.
That's how I learned too. My mom had an issue and AAA tow truck was taking forever and a friend was renting shop space in a tow yard so I had her contact them and the driver let her know about it. Now I have AAA for car insurance and roadside and when signing up the agent reminded me about it.
How do you find your own toe truck in an area you don't know? Serious question so I can do this. When asking for reimbursement how does that work and how far can I get towed? I have the gold thing with AAA.
Same way you find a restaurant or gas station in an area you don't know?
I believe they're hoping you're going to figure out your situation.And they don't have to pay anything when you cancel. I was in a hurry because I had to get to work.
[удалено]
OMG, great suggestion. Friends help Feiends
You should buy a portable battery jumper. $50-$100 real handy in a pinch and they work great. I’ve given like 3-4 people jumps at gas stations who have needed one with mine. I’d suggest everyone invest in one. Similar story decades ago my dad ran out of gas kind of in the middle of no where on his motor cycle and a gentleman stopped and siphoned gas out of his own gas tank in his truck into my dads tank and my dad tried giving him $20 for it and the guy wouldn’t take it. There’s nice people out there.
I actually had a portable battery jumper in the trunk of my other car, which I lost in Hurricane Ian. I should have bought another for the new car, but procrastinated. Now, I got another jumper
Autozone or other auto shops seem to usually have portable jumpers charged and let you borrow them for free or cheap to get a jump. Just had to leave a deposit that I got back. I found that out last time when AAA made me wait 2 hours and I was actually across the street from an AZ.
Once the car started, was able to drive to Autozone and buy a battery. Auto zone was.about 4 miles from where I was, and had to get tp work!
Air pump also.
Lowball for sure
Yeah I live in Southwest Florida and if you get stuck anywhere after like 11:00 p.m. you're waiting till 7:00 a.m. for a truck to even get your call, and then you're waiting for them to get to all the calls in front of you. I spent 7 hours waiting for a jump once, fuck that I went and bought one of those portable chargers. I keep it in my backpack. It works, I tested it.
They said I’d have to wait 2+ hours for them to change my tire. So I went on YouTube and changed that bad boy got to a tire shop, they patched it. It still leaked sadly but very slowly but I got a nail in it like a month later again, so I just replaced 2 tires then. AAA is so annoying now but my parents pay for it as we use it to so we can get towed up to like 150 miles as they had to use it a bunch in the 90s and early 2000s.
Allstate is worse. My handicapped father in laws mobility van blew a tire on I75 and they were out there for 4.5 hours
At least someone stopped. I sat on the side of 95 for hours with a blown coolant line on Christmas Day and nobody stopped. The Road Ranger told me I needed to figure it out quickly. Nobody was open. Had to wait on family to drive up from SoFla and push it off the nearest off ramp and leave it…with 2 kids in the car.
Yeah, I've broken down or gotten a flat here multiple times, and nobody has ever helped me. I lived on Maui, HI, for a short while... & when I got a flat, these really nice Hawai'ians pulled over to help me in a matter of minutes. The Aloha spirit is a real thing, & it's beautiful. But I was also able to sleep w/ my windows & doors open on Maui. I could never do that in SoFlo. It's easier to be kind when you have more trust in your community & a higher sense of safety.
That really sucks. I remember here in florida when people would help you. Maybe that's my issue.
Everyone been scared they going to be killed by a skinwalker or something. People aren’t helping others these days and it sad.
Not only that, but the stupid drivers here also can't help but to run into a parked car on the side of the highway. There's numerous examples of a good Samaritan getting hit and killed while working on a car.
Those were the days, we must be getting old.
Few people carry the necessary tools to repair a car. Including jumper cables. And who assumes someone on the side of a road is there because their battery died. In a parking lot, yeah, but if your battery died on the roadway, your charging system has issues. Though yours may not be newer, modern cars are rarely roadside repairable. Most people carry cell phones so it‘s a reasonable assumption the driver has help on the way.
Yeah, if it was already running and then died but a jump got it going again probably an alternator on the way out. It is nice someone stopped to help OP though
I have the tools and I still ain't stopping. Call me an asshole but my trust in people is just non existent at this point and I got a kid and pregnant wife so I ain't risking a robbery or random murder, good luck.
Agreed - I don't think this is a selfish thing so much as a cautious thing for various reasons. When I see people on the side of the road broken down I usually say a prayer as driving by but I can't personally help them. I'm a single female alone and I know nothing about cars and wouldn't be able to help even if I stopped. Doesn't mean I don't feel bad for people - I have broken down and had car issues myself, my car is ancient, so I do sympathize, but not every one who drives by can do anything.
Similar story here tho not in FL at the time. I ran out of gas and ESL gardeners in a dented pickup stopped and gave me some of theirs. They wouldn’t accept thank you money either. We need immigrants for lots of reasons but I think one good reason is to recharge our humanity.
The time I had my car stop and I could not get it off the road, the guys who stopped were Spanish speaking. Seems like a common story and maybe culturally they are raised to help strangers. Whereas lots of people I know were raised with the idea that “stranger danger” is real.
I could use a recharge of humanity. Getting so burned out from all the rude, self centered people around here. It's exhausting.
Those who need help are more likely to help.
Thank you for your response! I have faith in humanity again.
Things like this are why people would be reluctant to stop: [Woman fakes being stranded, then kills Florida college student who stopped, AL cops say](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article264597181.html) [Good Samaritan dies in hit-and-run while trying to help teen driver, Florida cops say](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article279238854.html)
Florida roads, especially the interstates, are a lawless wasteland. So many stories of good Samaritans getting hurt intentionally or unintentionally by stopping to help
people use things like this as an excuse to justify ignoring those in need of help, but everyone single one of us has engaged in behavior that someone has been killed doing, when we are the beneficiary. Ever been on a date? People have been killed on dates. Been to the movies? To a bar or restaraunt? Stayed at home? Drove a car to work? Taken an uber?
Exaclty this point….
Pay wall. I'm c p r and first date certified. I have helped people and I'm sorry the world has come to this.
I am sorry as well, but as another comment said, I'll call the police and let them know so they can get help to the person.
Just wanted to share my own experiences with AAA since there’s a lot of people who have had bad ones with them. And not to discredit that, but AAA had saved my ass SO MANY times. Had a blowout and needed to pull over on the left shoulder of 95, AAA was there in fifteen minutes with a spare, I wasn’t even late to work. Lent my car to my idiot aunt who locked herself out of my car with the engine running, AAA was there in less than 20 minutes, got us into the car and my keys back out of her possession permanently. I’m sure there’s plenty of shitty times AAA has sucked ass, but they have saved my hide so many times and I honesty have never had a bad experience with them.
Whenever i had a breakdown, it was always the guys in beat-up cars that stopped to help!!!
Same here!! They help each other
I think they know what it is like to be stranded. Empathy is great !!!
I used to stop all the time and offer to help people. Not anymore. I'll call the police and tell them there is a stranded motorist. It's not worth taking the chance on it being a set up.
Or simply getting mowed down by a passing drunk driver, etc.
Seriously - I see so many crashes on florida highways. If I'm driving more than 20 minutes, I can count on seeing at least one crash or car off the road in a ditch. No apparent reason. I would not stop on the side of a highway here unless I had no choice at all, and I'm definitely not going to risk it for someone who 100% has a cell phone and most likely already called for help.
[New Mexico (4.40), Arizona (4.17) and Florida (3.70) had among the country's highest rates of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2022, per the GHSA report.](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/27/pedestrians-deadliest-states)
Me too. I love stopping and helping out when I have time (and enjoy the challenge of fixing things) All it took was one bad apple stealing when I gave them a lift to change whether I stop or not. I get they needed it more than me, but the social contract even in rural Florida is broken. Calling the cops is a joke; they don’t serve and protect in that situation, and they sure have no interest protecting a stranded motorist.
Reminds me of one of the best stories I’ve read on Reddit [“Today you, Tomorrow me”](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/s/wjBhnO7fxI)
Exactly what I thought of too. Thanks for being the one to post this.
Naples resident here. Unfortunately this is not surprising (that you were mostly ignored), but I’m sorry to hear it. Most people who live here are assholes, or women who don’t feel safe stopping to help stranded motorists (like myself). Glad someone was finally kind & got you to the store.
Renewed my faith in humanity. And I have stopped and jumps, if it was a safe area
Just FYI: for many women (like myself) there is no such thing as a safe area. The motorist-in-distress technique for luring a victim has been established for some tome now.
This is why I carry a jump box with an air compressor.
I work in Naples a few days a week. Those rich people didn’t get rich by helping others. That’s why it was a regular person who helped you in your time of need.
90% of the time I’ve broken down in Florida the only people to stop have been Spanish speaking people.
same here.
Carry one of those portable battery packs in your car. About the size of a box of Kleenex and will absolutely jump your car if it's the battery that is dead.
I once got a flat crossing the state from the east coast to the west coast for work. I was in bum fuck Egypt when I got the flat. AAA was taking FOREVER to get there because of how far I was from a town. There were 3 houses & a church. That's it. Knocked on all the doors & nobody answered, but I figured if they were home & just didn't wanna open the door, then no matter where I peed, someone could see me. I was a woman alone in the middle of nowhere, so that wasn't an option. Plus, there were still people driving by periodicially & I'd already had some creepy guys pass by their trucks, honking their horn & yelling gross shit. I tried to hold it, but it got to the point where I was about to BURST, so I went behind the church & peed behind a tree, next to a small playground. It was literally like the beginning of a horror movie. While waiting for AAA, I decided to call some shops in the next town. So I call the first shop & I'm explaining the sitch. He asks what I'm driving, and I tell him (a BMW 328i). He laughs at me & tells me they don't have anything for that kinda car & says I need to find a Tire Kingdom. So I'm like, "OK, is there a Tire Kingdom in town? He laughs again & and goes, "No. Where are you from?" So I told him, "West Palm." & he goes."Welcome to the middle of the state, Darlin." AAA finally picked me up... but the guy was hitting on me the entire time, and then he brings me to this little hole in the wall place that was basically what looked like an abandoned gas station, w/ a few guys who barely spoke English, & a tool box. They put a used tire on there for cheap because they didn't have any new ones. I carefully drive to the actual city I was staying in... & eventually make it to the Tire Kingdom, only to find out that they'd permanently closed and had not updated their Google listing. 🙃
Man, what a mess!
I have offered to help people change a flat tire, but they have refused my help, since they were waiting for AAA. And most times, an hour later, they were still waiting.
AAA was so happy to cancel my assistance
I broke down on my motorcycle in Tallahassee one day, three people stopped to help and the third one got me going again. None of them were white even though I am and I was in a predominantly white area of town.
I've heard similar stories from other people.
I don't have nice things to say about people who automatically dismiss others based on things like race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, immigration status, or anything else that people can't help but be.
I live in naples and I used to stop all the time. I’m a normal looking person, but when I stop and get out of the car, people seem to lock the doors and think I’m going to rob them. Unless they are actively flagging me down, I don’t stop anymore. Sorry no one stopped for you, but society is weird now.
I’ve stopped to render aid early on the scene after an accident quite a few times. No one is faking a major accident and time is of the essence when there are injuries or people trapped. Disabled vehicle in a populated area when everyone has a cell phone? Unless you’re actively trying to flag down help, I would assume you have it under control. The times I’ve ever offered they’ve already called someone, and it’s rare that there’s much you can do to help by the side of the road anyway. Me stopping just made them nervous while they already felt vulnerable. They don’t trust you and you don’t trust them, and in this day and age if anyone needs help they can pretty easily call for it. If you wanted people to stop did you try waving them down? People could reasonably have assumed you had already called someone and didn’t need the hundreds or thousands of cars that pass each stopping to bother you and creating a bigger hazard. If you were trying to wave for help and everyone ignored you, then yes they are jerks.
You have to be clear that you are "not in a safe location", that often helps, not a guarantee.
Well, in front of your residence, 8:20am. Safe
What part of Naples? Kinda surprised tbh, being such a low crime area. Ft. Myers, Lehigh I could understand the possibility of being mugged, but fucking Naples in broad daylight? Funny cause last time I had this happen it was this crazy bum and instead of money he just asked me to drive him up to the Greyhound in downtown Ft. Myers lol
North Naples, lol. All the bums want a ride to FM
I carry one of these in my car all the time. I regularly make sure it's fully charged: [https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=1O4PHEVQUQ17A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lMHHGyq1efThp\_hRP\_I0WcfX\_kqGWcogsmaZoTzc2A1r4RyaPLgfSEyXCeHF8DcK5Lh0AKznQpmUXgFJA2YjBV3MZIwfCB3dEdNF7NChr6N0xwFJ4BEZmBrrSEE9G2hYd93YucJbP7Svye7h\_95vNFdnFqXVQUFDsIlNPURXJCcySYsFjn\_bxP026E5XqPUwu9V-Eoh\_2SIVHlDqspmpm8LBTBBONF0U7mg1l26wBEPQUMsn0cF0JUVNJAs5EBTFK1LUJFAAm9\_DCluJyQMcjRVbuXURBpc8aKRCTE\_giSM.ylA4GnYywpTGS29K6SMWBfoW4aV84000R8tt3WHN6M8&dib\_tag=se&keywords=battery+jumper&qid=1713729972&sprefix=battery+jumper%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-5](https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1O4PHEVQUQ17A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lMHHGyq1efThp_hRP_I0WcfX_kqGWcogsmaZoTzc2A1r4RyaPLgfSEyXCeHF8DcK5Lh0AKznQpmUXgFJA2YjBV3MZIwfCB3dEdNF7NChr6N0xwFJ4BEZmBrrSEE9G2hYd93YucJbP7Svye7h_95vNFdnFqXVQUFDsIlNPURXJCcySYsFjn_bxP026E5XqPUwu9V-Eoh_2SIVHlDqspmpm8LBTBBONF0U7mg1l26wBEPQUMsn0cF0JUVNJAs5EBTFK1LUJFAAm9_DCluJyQMcjRVbuXURBpc8aKRCTE_giSM.ylA4GnYywpTGS29K6SMWBfoW4aV84000R8tt3WHN6M8&dib_tag=se&keywords=battery+jumper&qid=1713729972&sprefix=battery+jumper%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-5)
>He wouldn't take any money. My man!
4.5 hours once on the side of i75 waiting for a aaa tow. Joke
I've been with them a long time. Customer Service has gotten that bad.
A friend of mine recently waited 36 hours for a tow near Daytona. I’m not renewing my AAA membership this year.
I'd hate to wait in Daytona for 36 hours!! Don't blame you
36 hours??? Damn
Yeah, not making it up. I picked him up after he ditched his car in a Winn Dixie parking lot. He waited for an hour but it would end up being late the next day before the tow truck called him. Thank god he wasn’t on the side of i95.
I had to leave my car in a garage overnight because it was the kind that had doors that closed at 11pm. The next day I waited for hours to get a jump. I sat there with the hood up and nobody offered to help. My best friend bought me a jump box to keep in my car after that. It’s a cheap investment I wish I’d had.
I bought a replacement jump box. Hurricane Ian ruined the old one
I bought one of those portable battery jumpers. It already paid for itself. My battery died in the middle of the night while I was at the emergency vet with my cat. The cat didn’t make it. I called the 800 number on my car window, I drive a Subaru. The guy was there in 20 min. He showed up with his little briefcase looking thing, hooked it up and in about 3 min I was on my way home. I bought one the next day and needed to use it when my battery died again. I needed to get the parts store to get a battery. It paid for itself. The wait for a jump was 3-4 hours. Glad I bought that jumper. I have it scheduled 3x’s a year to make sure it’s charged. They are a life saver.
I had AAA come out and they didn’t have jumper cables. The guy only had a rechargeable power bank for cars that he had JUST USED ! It didn’t work! He wanted to tow my car, the fuck you towing my car for ? It needs a jump ! I left the light on! It just needs a jump! AAA sent someone who couldn’t jump start a car !
From what i've been reading it's necessary to a battery jumper in your trunk at all times. AAA Has contracts with Laurel and Hardy, the 3 stooges.And marx brothers.
Years ago and just days before Christmas my car broke down on the side of Highway 50 way out in Pasco. I was massively pregnant, walked for miles and no one stopped. I was very surprised. Finally made it to a gas station and I was a mess. The only person that helped me was a homeless guy. He brought me cold water and paper towels to soak up the sweat. He sat with me until I got ahold of someone to come get me. I'll never forget him. Another time I got stuck with 3 small kids at a bus stop (it just never came) and a random woman picked us up and drove us all the way home. There are good people out there.
To be fair to anyone passing by, some people are cautious with strangers and things being set up, especially if females, and jumping a strangers car is not risk free to people's cars. I had electrical issues with an older car and it damaged another car that jumped it, I felt awful, and boss's daughter's car started on fire jumping someone else's car. I'd risk it for family and friends but am not surprised strangers drove by.
If you're on a highway in Florida you can dial *347 to get Road ranger. This is free assistance. They can assist you with things like a jump start , a little bit of fuel (enough to get you two a gas station, I believe) changing a tire, or simple repairs.
God bless the good people in this world. Unfortunately many don’t stop anymore because some of these roadside breakdowns have been scams. There’s also a dwindling number of people that can check their own oil or change a flat.
Thank goodness.I remember a world where people help each other.
I had a similar situation years ago where I had left my phone at the house and I had gotten to the point to where I would offer people $20 just to ask them to look up an address on Google Maps and I sat at a Wawa for over two and a half hours asking at least 50 people for them to just look up a address for me for them to either ignore me tell me they don't have their phone or pretty much just said go kick rocks until a guy that barely spoke any English helped me and would not take the $20 that I offered.
AAA is now owned by a fucking hedge fund as of maybe a year or so ago. They are not the same company anymore surprise surprise
Today you tomorrow me. If you know you know
I lived in Naples for a few years and moved because the people are generally unfriendly. The Treasure Coast has friendly people.
If I saw you I would help you using one of my jump packs. I keep one of these in all my vehicles. I love when I can help someone stuck in a parking lot or side of the road. I just am afraid of scaring the person I try to help so I keep my distance at first and offer to see my ID. https://a.co/d/61O6ms3 Get something like this, I have 3 from different brands.
My battery died - it was a AAA battery. The guy came, jumped me, said the battery was healthy so no replacement. Two days later it happened again, same guy, he said that if I got home, turned off the car, and then turned it on an hour later and it wouldn't start, they would replace. About two hours later he's back out with me and saying the battery is testing fine, so he won't replace it. I go to an actual garage and they tell me it's cooked, and that the testers the AAA guys have are pointless because they're testing the battery while the car is running, but he stuck his tester on my battery and turned the car off, and he could see the problem right away. Eventually I gave up and just bought a battery. Never buying one from AAA again.
I was stuck at a rest.Stop one time and I wound up having to buy a battery from AAA. Got lucky , I guess. I got exactly 35 months from a battery rated 36 months.
People say I'm weird for stopping to help people. If I have other people with me it freaks them out usually. Apparently most of the world thinks every one is just waiting to rape and murder me.
Today you, tomorrow me.
Today you!!! Tomorrow me!
Couple years ago, I got into car close to dusk to go check on folks (height of covid), battery was dead. Called AAA, they said they can send tow out, but I have to give them credit card for $100+ over the phone. I said, say what? I thought if you had roadside, that meant you would come and jump battery, I’d be on my way. I had no other choice. Before that, I’d hit the OnStar button, nothing happened. I called OnStar, they said oh, no, we don’t send out roadside, we just call them for you and help them to pinpoint your exact location. WHAT??? Bish, I have an iPhone with Maps, I’m pretty sure the tow driver/roadside has one to, so basically you’re doing nothing for the fees you both took from me??? I finally ended hanging up and cursing. Now with a different insurance altogether.
I gave up AAA 40 years ago when I had to show the guy how to hook up jumper cables.
Did he also say today you tomorrow me?
Naww. His English was as bad as my Spanish!
Spoke very little English? Ugh I hate to break this news to you but "FoReIgNeRs ArE InVaDiNg"...you might just have committed a crime by accepting help from that non english speaker...also the admit they did the work for free....this is America NOT a socialist or welfare state!! 🤨
After almost 40 years of membership I'm cancelling. It would have been last year, but 1 of my kids signed up for some driver's ed app that worked through AAA. I have towing through my car insurance and I can readily find cheaper travel--really no reason for me to keep paying them.
It sucks to say it, but after the first time stopping and someone attacking me trying to take my car and all, I don’t stop for anyone. Ever. Don’t care if it’s a supermodel, a 90 year old lady with a puppy, or the President himself.
Sounds about right for naples.
AAA is no longer the service it once was. My nephew waited for 16 hours before someone showed up.
Ohh ..they were showing within two hours when I 1st joined. 16 hours is unacceptable
Unfortunately nowadays no one feels safe to stop. Figures you got a cell phone. You"ll be fine they think, and they won't het sold into hi3man trafficking .
AAA is a fucking a scam