The Beauty of Breaking Down. Stranded Motorists Photographed By Amy Stein.

above: Amy Stein captures a broken down vehicle and passenger on Route 84, Texas.

Thanks to the New York Times' Wheels section, I have learned about photographer Amy Stein's collection of broken down vehicles and their passengers.

Stranded is a visual documentation of drivers in distress- accompanied by a Google map which documents the images and their whereabouts. Cars with their hoods up, passengers waiting for tow trucks, vehicles abandoned at the side of the road.

Peri, Route 64, Kentucky:

Steven, Route 10, Louisiana:

Walter, Route 90, Louisiana:

Route 14, New Mexico:

Clarence, Route 71, Ohio:

Man Under Overpass, New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey:

Beth, Outside Tallahassee, Florida:

Car, Route 79, Pennsylvania:

Interstate 15, Cajon Pass, California and Truck Driver, Interstate 10, Florida:

Third Street, Memphis, Tennessee:

Family, New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey:


“I’m interested in the idea of a breakdown as a sort of existential failing,” she said in a recent e-mail to the New York Times.

Inspired by the government's failed response to the flooding of New Orleans in 2005, she has spent the past 5 plus years driving across American photographing stranded motorists.

Cheerleaders, New Orleans, Louisiana:

Phil, Route 93, Idaho:

Car on Fire, Route 17, New York:

Route 10, Texas:

Courvassi, Interstate 95, Georgia:

Six Flags Park, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana:

Freddy, Outskirts of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:


Her Interactive Google Map


These and more photographs from this series can be found on this Google Map that Amy created which documents her travels across the US.



Amy has several other fabulous series of photographs that are most certainly worth checking out at her website.