Most women would prefer to be left stranded at night if their car broke down rather than accept help from a stranger, according to a new British survey. Women are also nervous of offering help - 61 per cent said they would never stop if they saw someone in trouble.
Men are also hesitant to accept help, the poll found, with 47 per cent claiming they would rather be left stranded than have a fellow driver stop. Just six out of 10 men said they would pull over to help another driver.
Nick Cole, spokesman for breakdown service Direct Line Rescue, which commissioned the survey, said: "It's a sad indictment of our times that, for many drivers, the prospect of sitting alone in their car all night seems better than the fear they experience when coming face-to-face with a stranger out on the road."
The company has joined the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to produce a leaflet on personal safety for motorists. Diana Lamplugh, founder of the charity and mother of the estate agent who went missing in 1986, and whose name the Trust bears, said: "The research clearly indicates that fear of crime is an issue we have all contemplated."