[ThePhysicist]

Bystander effect aside, this is really shocking if it's true. I once got robbed in broad daylight at a bus station in La Paz (Bolivia), with dozens of people standing nearby and watching everything happen, but then again this was in a developing country.

I think part of the explanation is that such situations occur pretty rarely in the developed world, so people do not know what's the appropriate reaction: Fight back and risk getting attacked as well, scream for help, just call the police? It probably can be compared to first-aid situations, where most people seem to get completely paralyzed and are unable to help the injured person. Maybe governments should offer seminars where people learn to react properly in such situations, just like in the first-aid seminars that you're required to attend when you get your driving license.

[simoncion]

USian here.

Where do you live that you're required to take a first-aid class before you get your driver's license? That sounds like a freaking fantastic idea!

[ThePhysicist]

Germany, where else ;) I think it's actually required in most of the European Union. They mostly teach you how to do cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth. This makes a lot of sense since it usually takes between 5-10 minutes for the paramedics to arrive on scene, which is simply too long for someone who doesn't breathe.

The thing that I remember most from the course was this: "Don't be afraid to perform cardiac massage on someone that doesn't breathe even if you might hurt him (e.g. by breaking some of his bones), after all if you do nothing he's already as good as dead.".

[karl42]

I don't know where he's from, but here in Germany you are required to do so.

[kaybe]

I'm also a big fan of the law that requires you to help in an accident and protects you from charges as long as you don't do anything obviously stupid.