Would you stop to help a motorist who's broken down?

A social experiment suggests the answer is probably not.

In the video, filmed in Chelsfield, Bromley, with motoring expert Quentin Wilson, only one car stopped to help stranded Bob and Sue, played by actors, when their cars broke down.

Someone stopped to help Sue but no-one would lend a hand to poor Bob, proving women are more likely to be rescued from the side of the road.

Some 86 per cent of people said they would drive straight past a stranded driver, according to a poll by Nationwide FlexPlus.

Even worse, 51 per cent of people said they would feel no guilt zipping past a broken down car without stopping to help.

Women are three times for likely to be rescued, as 72 per cent of those polled said they would stop to help a woman, with only 23 per cent willing to help a man.

However men are twice as likely to actually stop and help, with 46 per cent of men claiming they would compared to 23 per cent of women.

Women said they were worried they would not be able to help a broken down driver and had concerns for their own safety.

The poll, of 2,000 people, also shows that smartly dressed drivers were more likely to be offered assistance.