You’re driving on a major highway, freeway, motorway or beltway, and you witness another vehicle get into an accident, or see them pull over into the breakdown lane with their hazard lights flashing. What is your role in their safety? Do you stop and offer assistance? In front of or behind them?

The singular answer to those questions is simple: You dial 911 while you continue on your merry way. Say a prayer if you believe it will help. But the bottom line is you are not a professional (and if you are then you already know what help you can provide and how to stay safe while providing it). There are simply too many stories of collisions and accidents and highways deaths occurring because of a Good Samaritan who stopped to render assistance, and who was killed by a passing vehicle.

But what if you can’t just stand (sorry, drive) idly by? Certainly, if you see a car flip into a ditch, your first instinctive thought would be to help the survivors. In truth, that should be your second thought. If you first can’t ensure your own safety, then what good are you to the legitimate professionals, i.e. the police and rescue workers? You will have created an additional burden on what may already be a life threatening situation for the rescuers.

Throwing another monkey wrench into the mix, some states have laws that give a victim the right to sue a Good Samaritan, if the aid rendered by that person caused them undue injury. That’s a lot to take in. Ultimately, what you do if confronted with this situation is entirely up to you and your conscience.