Would you help a driver who has slid off the highway?
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - East Idaho is filled with kind-hearted people willing to help others.
"I would definitely stop. Especially if I had my husband or someone else with me," neighbor Melissa Wangsgard said.
"As long as you pull all the way over," neighbor Kaycee Harvey said.
"Depends on the circumstances. If it's daylight I probably would," neighbor Bill Dent said.
But in the world we live in, the help can come with hesitation.
"I'd be more likely to stop if I had someone else with me," Wangsgard said.
"If I didn't have my kids, I probably would, but I would look around my surroundings. You could tell when something's fishy," Harvey said.
Neighbors like Bill Dent feel like the safety of your stop can also depend on your gender.
"There's a lot of people out there that I think take advantage of other people, and I think females definitely, it's probably not as safe for them as a man to stop," Dent said.
Idaho State Police Sargent Chris Elverud said, although negative interactions are rare while trying to help someone, you can never be too safe.
"I would recommend just calling the state police to say 'hey there's a vehicle there,' maybe from afar see, don't go approach them right away but, you know, maybe you just give me a thumbs up to some type of nonverbal communication there okay," Elverud said.
If you ever encounter a situation where you've slid off the road, Elverud recommends some tips to stay safe.
"The main thing is to turn your flashers on. Let law enforcement know where you're at, but just stay in your vehicle. You never know what's coming up behind you, so your main thing is your safety, make sure you're out of the way," Elverud said.
