Real-Life Decision Making
You work as an automotive technician and driver for a 24-hour towing service.
At 5 a.m., you're called out to a remote stretch of highway to help a
driver in need of emergency road service. The driver has pulled to the side
of the road to check his windshield wipers, which are acting funny.
After some exploration, you discover that the fan belt is broken and therefore
the car's alternator won't work. This means all the electrical systems
-- the lights, the radio and the windshield wipers -- have to use power from
the battery. So much of the battery's power has been used already that
there isn't enough left to restart the car.
You have to tow the car into the shop, since you don't have a fan
belt with you and the battery should be recharged anyway. The driver is not
impressed. He's impatient because he has an appointment to keep and he
takes his frustration out on you by being belligerent.
You are able to get the car running again after a couple of hours. But
while going through a routine check, you notice the suspension is in rough
shape. That means the car will wobble and there's a chance the driver
could lose control if the problem isn't fixed. You explain this to the
driver, who has been pacing impatiently around the shop. You tell him that
the car is unsafe to drive and that he may be endangering the lives of other
people.
The owner doesn't agree to the repairs. After all, he has an appointment
which he's already late for.
You're not the police, you can't impound the car, so the owner
drives away.
What do you do?