BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
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Tom Smith finds a standed motorist in David book of Petersburg, Ky.
(Tony Jones photo)
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We've locked keys in our cars while changing a tire.
We're willing to ditch our broken-down car so we don't miss a flight at the airport.
And we're more likely to run out of gas toward the end of the week and end of the month as we stretch the tank until our next paycheck, says Tom Smith, a CVS Good Samaritan mechanic who cruises the Northern Kentucky interstates in a white van looking for and helping stranded motorists.
Mr. Smith knows our driving habits. He's racked up nearly 200,000 miles in four years.
"Flat tires are the most common occurence," he said. "Some are brand new and people hit something in the highway. Some are just worn out."
From 6:30 until 9:30 a.m. and again from 3 to 6 p.m. each Monday through Friday Mr. Smith is scanning Northern Kentucky highways for motorists to help.
His conclusion about Greater Cincinnati drivers after spending 1,560 hours a year with them: They're courteous.
Los Angeles drivers may be known for toting guns. In Boston, they're notorious for ignoring traffic laws. But in Cincinnati, friendliness and patience still seem to reign on the interstates.
"Everybody wants to stop and let everyone else in," said Mr. Smith, who is a Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified mechanic and trained emergency medical technician. "I don't see road rage."
Construction is so commonplace in Northern Kentucky, rush hour halts don't even seem to bother commuters. They sit patiently and accept traffic as part of their daily routine.
Drivers let Mr. Smith cross three lanes of traffic to get to a broken down car.
Commuters who see him every day wave and smile as they pass by. And, as a general rule, not even car problems seem to get people too bent out of shape.
"People are glad to see you come along " Mr. Smith said last week while searching for drivers who needed roadside help.
That was the case for Tim Hunter, 45, of Calhoun, Ga., whose fan belt snapped on I-71 - 75 just past the I-275 interchange. An electrician, he explained he had just left a job site on Cincinnati's west side when his power-steering light went out and battery charge light came on.
"I'm going to remember this guy in my prayers," Mr. Hunter said after Mr. Smith replaced his fan belt and he found out it was a free service funded by CVS pharmacy and ARTIMIS.
"This is a rarity," his co-worker Daniel Coleman, 47, added after explaining that they had thought there may have been a problem with the belt.
Like Mr. Hunter, Greater Cincinnati motorists usually have a story for Mr. Smith.
"A flat tire isn't always just a flat tire," Mr. Smith says. Greater Cincinnati drivers feel the need to tell him how they got into trouble in the first place. They see him as part therapist. "I was on the way to get new tires when one blew."
"I hit a piece of debris on the road."
One woman had even had her brakes fail just blocks from the brake shop where she had picked her car up.
"Every time I think I've seen something, that tops everything," Mr. Smith said, "Something else comes along to top that."
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