Originally Posted by ajay677
People are less likely to help others when there are many people around. It enables them to minimize personal responsibility for helping - "all these people around, someone else will help". Not that it's right, just an unfortunate circumstance of human social intereactions. People need to consciously remind themselves to get involved, especially when there are many people present. They should ask themselves, "What would I want if my mother or father where lying on the sidewalk? Would I want people stepping over them, or helping them?"
True. Also, people are reluctant to help when they believe that they are not qualified or competent. This is similar to what jimmuter said:
Originally Posted by jimmuter
I just think many people are scared and do not know how to act around older people.
And i also agree with ItsJustMe that education and experience will help people feel more competent and comfortable when they see those who need help:
Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
One of the best things that happened to me in high school was to get put in close contact with a guy with MS for a couple of years. We were both in the same classes a lot, and I wound up helping him out a lot, to the extent of helping him into the bathroom stall and lifting him sometimes when needed. Sad to say he died not many years afterwards, but as a result of knowing him, I don't have that tendency to flinch away from people in wheelchairs that I know a lot of people do.