Poll: Death Valley, 1 gallon of water, a family will die no matter what you decide. No whirlpool or bacon

[Basement Cat]

And now for something completely different.

We're all a little tired of drowning in whirlpools, so let's head into one of the least hospitable locations on earth on a more serious note.

On a dumb bet you're driving through Death Valley on a motorcycle. At 10 A.M. it's 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the non-existent shade and still getting hotter. You approach another car on the side of the road that died and has tell-tale steam coming from beneath the hood indicating the car's engine has burned out (no other options on this detail). You see a man a woman and two prepubescent children passed out in it.

Your cell phone doesn't have any service and hasn't since you entered Death Valley.

You have enough water for you and only you to be sure of surviving long enough to make it out of Death Valley alive.

You're dangerously low on gas.

If you share your water you will all die. If you take anyone the extra weight could mean you will run out of gas and neither of you will make it out alive.

Even if you decide to save one the other three, including a child, will [OFFICIAL EDIT as of Aug 30--10 PM: almost ] certainly die.

It occurs to you the father or mother might try to kill you to take the bike and water and try to save everybody else.

You don't want to be in this situation and have to make a decision like this.

 

[Basement Cat]

Wow. An actual vote. Is this Poll too depressing?

Bacon. I should have included the bacon.

 

[Basement Cat]

Now we have 3 votes (plus my own) in just 2 hours.

We're rolling now!

Where's the groupies?

EDIT: I've given you bacon. No, I won't include steak and chips!

 

[klown]

Well, honestly, I think you'd still get good cell service in Death Valley, I mean, I am on America's Largest Network.

On topic though, I'd probably ask them if they wanted any help, if they did, I'd stay and we'd all die, or I'd help them however they asked, because in the end, I don't really care if I die, as long as I tried to at least do something.

 

[uzo]

Being a closet survivalist means surviving, not sacrificing oneself nobly for some idiot who drove his idiot family into a hostile area without a back up plan. And being a basically nice guy means sharing when you can, if you have the resources to spare, and you've very clearly said I don't have the resources.

Tough break for the kids, though.

*drives on by and says a prayer to whichever god(s) "cares" for them*

 

[Eleuthera]

Drive on until I get cell reception, I've driven through DV, it's not that far. They should easily survive until I get out and call for help.

 

[Basement Cat]

Drive on until I get cell reception, I've driven through DV, it's not that far. They should easily survive until I get out and call for help.

Actually they'd roast inside the car and be dead within hours. At least according to this TLC documentary I once saw.

And keep in mind you don't know how long they've been there without waking one of them up and finding out.

And just to toss a sabot into your (logical) plan to call for help once you get out keep in mind that it might take too long for help to arrive even if you make contact with the right people. Does 911 work on your phone plan just outside of Death Valley? Hmmm...

But what about the child? You miiiight be able to save ONE child?

Feel the pressure...FEEL IT!

 

[Eleuthera]

Actually they'd roast inside the car and be dead within hours. At least according to this TLC documentary I once saw.

And keep in mind you don't know how long they've been there without waking one of them up and finding out.

And just to toss a sabot into your (logical) plan the to call for help once you get out keep in mind that it might take too long for help to arrive even if you make contact with the right people. Does 911 work on your phone plan just outside of Death Valley? Hmmm...

But what about the child? You miiiight be able to save ONE child?

Feel the pressure...FEEL IT!

911 should work on any plan with any reception (at least similar numbers do in Europe) If not I guess call anyone else and tell them to call 911, shouldn't take more then a minute or two extra.
As to frying in the car, are they conscious? Then they can get out and sit in the shade besides the car. It might not be fun but no immediate death either. If they're not conscious, why not? Why didn't they get out when they could?

Anyway might be able to save one child doesn't trump should be able to save them all. Assuming anything but the worst case scenario (and if they're already so bad that waiting for a few more hours will kill them, chances are I wouldn't be able to save any of them anyway.)

 

[BathorysGraveland]

I'd turn around, and get the fuck on out of there. The situation seems pretty clear to me. Though we'd all be as stupid as each other, at least I can do one smart thing: leave with the possibility of surviving.

 

[Thaluikhain]

If they are passed out, it means they require proper medical assistance.

Added to this, you've only got enough water for yourself, and I believe trying to save someone suffering from heat exhaustion would require more water than just keeping someone who doesn't have it alive.

So, they are dead no matter what you do. You can stay and die, or keep going and not die, that's the options you have, unless you count looting the car or something like that.

 

[King of Asgaard]

Even if I try and help, they need assistance I can't provide, meaning that my efforts and resources would be wasted, and none of us would survive.
I drive by and do nothing, they'll be dead by the time any kind of help can reach them.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

snip

They're all passed out right? Siphon water to drink. then some gas then lift the two unconscious children onto the bike with me and get them to drink a little. If they ask about mummy and daddy I'll say "Don't worry about them they'll be fine" or something comforting to shut them up. However I wouldn't even bother waking up the adults. As you said, they'll probably just kill me and take everything they can. The two children will need less water than I.

I think I've beaten your conundrum better than anyone else can good sir.

*And with that, I swirl my cape and vanish into the night*

 

[Yopaz]

Well, so you got water for yourself, not enough for more than one to survive. Sharing water here wont do anything but make sure that one more person die. I would drive through and call for help.

 

[Exocet]

Go next to them, say something along the lines of: "I'm close to a breakdown too, so I can't take anyone, but I'm going to get help." Then drive along and do just that.

Meanwhile, the family isn't stupid and doesn't stay inside the car, but rather next to it, or even under it, following the shade.
And of course, since they are stranded, they would do what Bear Grylls would do: drink their own piss.

 

[Slayer_2]

Asses the damage to the engine and add my gallon of water to the radiator, depending how much is gone. Then add my gas to the car, strip extra weight from it, and drive at a slow-ish pace out, to avoid over-consumption of fuel and overheating. Monitor the heat gauge religiously and pray someone else comes along.

If the engine is beyond repair, talk to them, borrow gas, and floor it on my bike to the nearest cell service.

 

[Jadak]

You made this easy by having them all passed out, having to look them in the eyes when you choose to abandon them certainly makes it harder.

As it is, I'd drive by, probably without robbing them unless anything seemed particularly appealing. I'd call someone when I could (assuming I didn't rob them), and fuck what anyone thinks about my not saving anyone.

 

[doggy go 7]

Definitely drive by and then call for help; as far as I understand the situation, there's not a lot I can actually do that doesn't kill me as well, and possibly saving one kid seems worse than possibly saving one family.

 

[Hagi]

Well... according to various coverage maps Death Valley has decent cell phone reception so I'd just call 911 at the first spot I could, then go back to keep us all alive with my water until the authorities come.

 

[LetalisK]

I'd give them the sweet release of death. *Zsasz cackle*

On another note, I'm normally freaked out by close-up spider pics, but your picture of a spider looks like a strange frog with huge nostrils. A drug sniffing frog, maybe. Just sayin.

 

[Henkie36]

Option seven is probably the best one, inly it should end with and then go off to get help.