It never hurts to ask, except that one time I walked up to a car and it was only when I was a couple feet away that I saw the sole-up high-heels and the car rocking ... I tiptoed away and try to be more careful.

Cell phones have made a lot of situations easier but assuming that if they were in trouble they would have called for help might make certain situations harder. In one case the father of a friend had a minor stroke, as if any stroke can be really minor, but that's what they said, and he simply forgot where he was, who he was, where he was driving to, and why he wanted to go there. He had a cell phone but, other than a strong feeling something was wrong, didn't think he was in trouble.

So there he sat. In his car. At the side of the road. A couple blocks from his house. What saved him was that a neighbor saw him when she went to the store and then saw him, in the same spot, when she returned five minutes later. She pulled up and asked what was going on. He hadn't the foggiest idea. Being on good terms and having a relative who had a stroke she started to think something was seriously wrong even as he kept saying he was fine.

The EMTs found cooperative but completely unconcerned other than him thinking something, something he couldn't put his finger on, was wrong.

Diabetics can also have situations where they are not mentally capable of telling they are in trouble. In one sad case the driver had pulled off the road and was tasered over a dozen times because the police assumed he was drunk and uncooperative. Only after he had been tasered, beat, hogtied and collapsed in the drunk tank did they call the EMTs. Who started to suspect he wasn't drunk because he didn't smell of alcohol. On examination they found the Medi-alert pendant around his neck and started appropriate treatment. Word is he had no retirement plan before the incident. After the settlement it is well funded. Makes me wonder if calling the police is any better than just taking your chances. I keep telling myself that the vast majority of police are conscientious and trying to do the right thing. Even if a few fall well short of the mark.

Outside my divergence the larger point is that some people who need help, ever more people as the population ages, may not be able to use a cell phone or erect a flag. Walking up on a couple at maximum engagement might get you a thrashing, or shot, but everyone has to make an effort to look out for people who may need help, even if they don't realize it.

Just because you may be travelling on a major highway does not imply cell coverage. Up here, on many major highways, there are some stretches of 60-100 miles that don't have cell coverage.

A good resource I now use when travelling is Open Signal Maps. This website interfaces with Google Maps and allow you to search for cell towers near where you may be. (When searching, zoom in on the map to see more tower locations) Although not complete, I have been able to find cell towers in areas that I would not of known and can possibly make a difference when the chips are stacked against you.

That said and as you have mentioned in another post popping the hood open (and turning on the 4 way flashers) around here will almost always guarantee that someone will cautiously slow down and ask if you require help.

That was my next question: where can I get a sign that says "if the car is a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'?" We have to be prepared for all manners of emergencies, and those condoms can be used for more than carrying water.

As for the other sort of emergency, it did not occur to me that popping the hood could serve as a signal for trouble. On the other hand, an explicit signal ("call police" or "help") might provide a much needed push to passing drivers.

On another note, I wonder whether the possibility of an opportunistic robber/rapist/murdered might be better addressed by a different sort of kit. You are perhaps no less likely to encounter trouble if you're lost in a sketchy part of town. These are similar situations, and perhaps could use the same response.

Thanks for the input! I've asked the "call police" sign company how to purchase their product, and if I hear from them, I'll let you know!


Da Bing

Does anyone not have one of those sunshades from the 90's?

Local custom and culture may be an important factor as well. Here in SoCal, proper behavior is to keep right on trucking (slowing down will most likely result in a traffic jam) so you had better have your cell phone working. On the major arteries, road side assistance phones are installed at quarter mile intervals

On the other hand, in South Dakota, where I spend most of my summers, we had a minor breakdown right in town and within the space of no more than ten minutes, three strangers approached us to offer assistance without us doing anything to solicit aid, other than to look underneath the vehicle to see what in the blazes was wrong with our clutch linkage.

Folks in a rural setting are more inclined to offer assistance.

While Expensive,A Very Good option is The On-Star Alert System,Sattelite GPS system Operated,& Works Virtually Anywhere,Could be a Very Helpful Investment for a Concerned Loved one,ie..84 yr.old Stranded in Desert,etc.