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» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » Samaritan or Fool? Picking up hitchhikers.

   
Author Topic: Samaritan or Fool? Picking up hitchhikers.
KarlEd
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Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker? Do you think it is foolish? Do you think it's ever a good thing to do? If you do pick up hitchhikers, do you discriminate and if so, what are your criteria? If you don't, do you ever feel even a little guilty for passing them by? Finally, have you ever hitchhiked, or would you?

I do pick up hitchhikers on occasion. I recognize there is some danger in allowing a stranger into your car, but I don't think the reality of the risk is nearly as high as the perception of risk. On the other hand, I wouldn't want any of my sisters, or my mother, to pick up a hitchhiker if driving alone.

I don't pick up people indescriminately, but I try to use fair judgement. When I see someone on the road, my first thought is, "Do I have time for this?" and it is rapidly followed by a general assessment of the person which I can only explain as "do they look shifty?" and "could I kick their butts if it came to that?". Basically if I have time, they are going in my general direction, and instinct doesn't tell me otherwise, I'll offer a ride.

I'm not religious about picking up hitchhikers. I've passed as many as I've picked up. My self-sacrifice on this subject doesn't go as deep as it might in other situations. If I'm pressed for time, or it is really inconvenient at the moment I'd probably pass a hitchhiker up unless they seemed to be in distress. But it's very difficult in many parts of the US to get along without a car. I feel bad for people who, for whatever reason, are stuck hitchhiking. I drive a 25 mile stretch of country highway (1 lane each way) to work every day. There are two small towns between my house and work. Maybe four times in the past year I've seen someone hitchhiking along that road. All of them were hitchhiking because they either didn't have a car or didn't have a license. 2 of them were trying to get to work. One of them was trying to get into the city (but lives 5 miles from the nearest bus stop). And one of them, with surprising honesty, told me he was just coming back from court where luckily his case was dismissed because of an illegal search. From the look of him, I guessed it was pot related, but I could have been wrong. Regardless, I've know a lot of people who's lives I wouldn't want to have, but who were nonetheless basically good people, so I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Also, it makes me feel good to be able to help someone who genuinely needs it. I do feel a little guilty if I pass someone by when I could have stopped and had no real reason not to.

For my part, I've never hitchhiked. I hope I never have to. I'd be embarrassed, for one, and I don't think I'd stay long in a situation where I had to rely on it.

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Olivet
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I never do it anymore, but that is because I usually have the kids with me. I would never pick up a man, unless Ron was with me, and even then it depends on the situation. Say, if someone was broken down and needed a lift to a gas station or whatever. We DO stop to give people a jump-start or whatever.

I live near a public library, and one day as I was bringing kids home from preschool, I saw a youngish teen girl leaving the library on foot. It was a very, very hot day. I circled back to offer her a ride, but she was actually expecting a ride to pick her up at a particular corner (the one right by the library is too busy for a pick-up). But I was concerned for her, so I offered. I figured a mom with babies in the back is about the least threatening type to offer a ride to a young girl, but if it was MY daughter, I would probably rather she not take a ride from anybody we didn't know very well.

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Farmgirl
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I picked up hitchhikers many, many times years ago (we are talking probably 20 years ago) but I don't any more. (Yes, I picked them up even while traveling as a single woman, traveling alone.)

I think times have changed.

Becoming a mother and responsible for a family has made me more cautious. I still THINK about it each time I pass one (you don't see as many as you used to either, though, around here). And I feel guilty passing them by.

I never had a bad experience picking up a hitchhiker. There was only one -- a solitary guy that I picked up and it didn't take me long to figure out this guy must be high on something because he could barely get out a complete sentence, and had a very glassy look. I simply stopped the car and told him to get out, and he did, without any argument.

Every other person I picked up has been very nice and usually very interesting.

I have never personally hitchhiked.

I have picked up a couple people more recently -- but both times I actually recognized and knew the person -- and they were walking because of car breakdowns, etc.

Farmgirl

(p.s. -- my reasoning for picking up hitchhikers when I was younger was usually based in my favorite verse, Hebrews 13:2)

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Xavier
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I gave a ride to someone who asked me for one at a gas station.

I've never picked up a hitch-hiker though. I think its because I am too indecisive. I will always think about pulling over, but by the time I make up my mind, its too late to do so.

I also think the danger isn't anywhere even approaching what its made out to be, for a man anyway. I don't think the average woman should probably pick up anyone. Mostly because of the risk of rape. Outside of prison, I've heard very few stories of a man being raped by another man, but any time a woman is alone with a strange man it can be a dangerous situation.

I myself have never truly hitch-hiked, but I did get a ride to the nearest gas station when my car broke down. I was walking along the side of the highway, and I saw a police car coming toward me the direction I was walking. I thought: "I'm in a position of difficulty and considerable danger, a cop should help me." I attempted to flag him down, flailing my arms like a mad-man. He clearly saw me, but drove right past me. His lights weren't on, and he didn't seem like he was in any hurry. The one time a police officer was in the position to actually help me, instead of harrass me, and he didn't even slow down. I stood on the side of the road with a stupid expression on my face, while my opinion on police officers slowly started to sink. Then a different car pulled up and offered me a ride. They saw me try and get the cop's attention, and felt bad for me. They were pretty cool, and dropped me off at the next gas station [Smile] .

Edit: and I disagree that times have changed, farmgirl. I don't have any statistics, but I would think its just as safe (or just as dangerous) to pick up a hitchhiker now than it ever has been. Especially now that cell phones are ubiquitous.

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El JT de Spang
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I have hitchhiked and picked up hitchhikers, in about equal measure.

I don't pick up hitchers on the interstate, for one. Nor did I ever hitch on the interstate. It's illegal in most states, for one. But it's just a bad idea.

When I lived out West (Colorado, Montana, Idaho) I noticed people were a lot more likely to pick up hitchhikers. I think the weather was a factor in this. It's too cold to walk anywhere for very long.

I've never picked up a hitchhiker in my home state (Louisiana).

I liked hitchhiking. You get to meet people you wouldn't ordinarily, and it has kind of a cool, rebel vibe.

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El JT de Spang
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When I lived in Colorado, I lived 18 miles away from the Ski Shop I worked in. I hitchhiked to work on a semi-regular basis. I would typically be passed by 20 to 200 cars before being picked up. The furthest I ever walked before being picked up was, I think, 4 miles. And it was cold. But I didn't mind it, except for the fact I had almost no control over when I'd get to work.
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Belle
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I once gave a ride to a teenager who knocked on my parents door and asked for help. He was broken down, and wanted a lift to his home. He said he had knocked on every door and been turned away but when he saw my van with its firefighter tag, he believed a firefighter would help him. How could I say no to that?

The kid was gracious and appreciative and it was only a couple miles so I consider it a good experience.

But I would never pick up someone on the side of the road, too risky in my view.

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Farmgirl
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Isn't hitchhiking very very common in Europe? I seem to remember my Polish cousin saying something about it being fairly normal to hitch rides from one country to another throughout Europe...

FG

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SenojRetep
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When a college student I picked up two (2) hitchikers. One was a divorced father trying to get to his son's basketball game 50 miles away. The other was someone who missed his bus and needed a ride home. In both cases my wife was with me.

The bus-misser was interesting. He directed us to a part of town we weren't familiar with; it was night time. We passed onto a country road with poor lighting. Then we passed a cemetary. "Turn here," he says, pointing to the road boardering the graveyard. "But I see no houses on that road," I think to myself. We turn, and drive a couple of empty, dark blocks. "Pull over right up here," he says, pointing to a pull-off by the cemetary entrance. "But there's no house right up here," I think to myself. I'm preparing myself for the worst, thinking of knives and guns and lead pipes (I'm a big fan of Clue). Then my headlamps illuminate a hidden driveway for a house set back in the woods opposite the graveyard. "Thanks," the guy says and jumps out of the car. My wife and I look at each other and take a deep breath and laugh. Then we drive home.

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Chris Bridges
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I've picked up hitchhikers but not as much as before I had kids with me. No bad problems, and there's still the occasional woman-with-kids-next-to-dead-car deal.

I keep an extra jug of water in my trunk, though. Amazing how happy people with steaming cars are to see an extra jug of water.

My wife once got a flat and pulled over to the side of the highway. By the time she got out to look, three different cars had pulled over to help her. Things like that are what keep me from giving up on people.

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katharina
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I would never pick up a male hitchhiker, although I would probably pick up a female one if I ever saw one.

However, I have hitchhiked several times, when my car has run out of gas. I don't agree with myself, but I do it anyway.

All my vices are tied up with that car.

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Stan the man
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Ever picked up a hitchhiker? No. Most of the places Iv'e been it was a lot safer to just give them a little cash to get a cab.

Ever hitchhiked? Yes. My friend Brian and I did in New Mexico after we had finished backpacking in the "Valle Vidal" (which is in Ted Turner's property). Of course we had to hike quite a ways to even get to the highway. An' even then we headed the opposite direction of base camp because there was a town a mile up the road. We were thirsty for something other than water (gatorade type stuff).

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Farmgirl
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Here are a couple of my favorite stories of picking up hitchhikers.

I was about.....21 years old. Living in Omaha, Nebraska. Had a big break-up with a boyfriend and just left -- heading absolutely nowhere in particular - just away. Drove west on I-80 (which goes on FOREVER in Nebraska).

At Lincoln, I saw two guys on the on-ramp hitchhiking. With backpacks, the whole nine yards, serious hitchhikers. They had a sign that said "Boulder, Colorado" and I decided at that moment to go to Boulder! [Smile]

I picked them up - very nice guys. Didn't take me very long at all to figure out these two were much more interested in each other than there were in me as a female. (okay - one of my first encounters with gays). Seem well-educated, very articulate guys. Now, at this point I shouldn't have even been driving because I had been awake like 30 hours and was exhausted emotionally as well. So I asked them if either of them could legally drive (had a license) and one said "sure" so I let HIM drive my car - and I crawled in the backseat and went to sleep (too tired to do anything but trust at this point).

They woke me up when we needed to stop for gas. Then I drove on to Boulder. They checked into a motel (one of the two had obviously come from a very wealthy family, from what I had learned) and they allowed me to hang there long enough to take a shower, then I left them, and struck out on my own. They were interesting, and it was a good experience.

Another time, coming across the vast endless plains of eastern Colorado, I saw a hitchhiker with his dog. It was pouring rain, and they were out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I felt sorry for the dog in the rain. I stopped and gave them a ride to Omaha (yes, I was going back that way). The guy claimed to be an independent minister, and we had very lively and intelligent conversation all the way, which made the trip much more pleasant.

Farmgirl

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Omega M.
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Was this question in any way inspired by OSC's story "Hitching"? (It's in the one-volume Maps in a Mirror, and is pretty funny.)
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Corwin
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Well, hitchhiking is pretty normal in Europe. I've had friends who hitchhiked from France to Germany. They payed for part of the ride, but they did it this way because it's way cheaper than going by train.

I've only hitchhiked once: I had to get to the train station at around 5 a.m. and didn't know the bus strike was still on. So I'm standing there in the bus station with a friend of mine, when a guy comes up to us to ask if the buses are working again. Ouch. We waved at a - very lonely - car that passed by and the guy stopped and took all three of us. It wasn't very far, but still, at 5 a.m. it's probably not something everybody would do. [Dont Know]

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KarlEd
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Omega, no, though I've read it.

It was inspired because I picked up a hitchhiker on my way home from work yesterday and I was wondering if the general concensus would be that it was a stupid thing to do.

This particular hitchhiker was the guy who just got out of court and was pleased to have gotten off on a technicality. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he's going to have a hard time getting back on his feet living where he's living with no car (and no possibility of gettting his license re-instated in the near future, actually).

What make me ponder this to the point of posting the question was that if I had known up front who I was picking up (in certain terms someone in trouble with the law, probably a drug users) I'd likely have steered clear of him. However, what I have had several occasions to learn recently is that those descriptors do not really tell you as much about a person's worth or worthiness as one might think.

I would like to live in a world where anyone with a car could offer a ride to anyone in need with no fear of danger either from the driver or the hitchhiker. I don't live in that world, of course. Alternatively, I don't want to live in a world where no one helps anyone else because they are afraid of betrayal or being taken advantage of, or worse. Thankfully I don't live in that world either. I live in the world I live in, where there is a constant battle between the two extremes. Where my actions make a difference, I'd like them to make a difference toward the world I prefer, and that is ultimately why I'm willing to take the calculated risk. Yet even as I say that, I would be more conservative in my calculations if the person taking the risk were not myself, but someone I love.

I'm just mulling over that attitude and wondering what other people think.

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jeniwren
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I've never picked up a hitchhiker, but have been in the car when my husband has. Though, it's never technically a hitchhiker...usually it's someone who looks homeless in the rain. There's a woman who wanders around Bellingham, who we've offered a ride if the weather is bad. I know that when I haven't been in the car, my husband picks up more of them. Usually guys he drops off at the Mission.
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Miro
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I don't have a car, so picking up hitchhikers is basically a moot point. This summer, though, I hitchhiked a lot. I spent about 5 weeks on Martha's Vineyard in MA, where hitchhiking is actually encouraged, to keep traffic down. I was with my friend (who is male, I'm female) every time, and it never felt sketchy. Being an island, Martha's Vineyard is somewhat of a restricted community, so that may have something to do with it. We got around the entire island walking and hitching. It was awesome. [Big Grin]
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Christy
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I picked up a homeless man in Champaign in the winter because he looked so cold and distraught. I was only able to take him a block, but the warm-up was much appreciated. I did chide myself afterwards, however, wondering what I would have done if he had been looking for trouble.

My parents stopped picking up hitch hikers after they picked up a couple that was clearly having a dispute. It was raining and we were at a state park or something and they needed a ride back into town. My mom feared the entire time that the guy was going to lash out either at the woman or at us.

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Kwea
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quote:
All my vices are tied up with that car.
All of them?


Lucky car, I guess. [Wink]

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Shanna
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I've never picked up a hitchhiker. As a young woman, I don't feel safe doing it. Besides, with my luck, I'd get the one crazy who is carrying a gun and wants me or my car.

I've had some pretty creepy people help me out in emergency situations. People who just don't make you comfortable and when you ask them to leave, they don't want to. Now I just call my closest acquaintance, lock the doors, and keep my eyes out for cops.

My dad used to hitchhike in college. He was a frat president and he did it alot when he was drunk and his friends ditched them. He even hitchhiked after a really bad car crash. If you pick up a guy bleeding from the head, take him to the hospital instead of letting him go home.

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maui babe
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I've never picked up a hitchhiker myself... over the years there was seldom any extra room in my car, for one thing. Not to mention the safety issues.

I remember in the late '60's, my mother was leaving my father (I thought we were going on vacation, but we ended up never going home [Frown] )and we were driving west through Albuquerque and my mom picked up a hitchhiker on the freeway. He was a soldier on leave, and was in uniform (and years later, my mother said that was the only reason she picked him up. As if an Army uniform makes one 'safe'... different times, I guess). His name was Paul and we drove him to Western Arizona, I believe. Looking back, I can't imagine doing the same thing myself... driving alone with three small children and picking up a hitchhiker and driving across two states with him. But it worked out well I suppose.

When I lived on the mainland, I never saw too many hitchhikers. When I lived in a small town in Idaho, if I saw someone I knew walking (and I knew most of the people I saw), I'd stop and offer a ride, especially if the weather was bad. But I don't consider that hitchhiking.

I'm surprised at how many hitchhikers I see on Maui. I'm sure it's largely because there's no public transit here. I'd still never hitchhike, nor would I tolerate it from one of my children. I had a neighbor once who did it regularly, and thought nothing of her daughters doing it.. in fact, she encouraged it. I was appalled, and decided that some people are just different than me.

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unicornwhisperer
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So if you see someone's car broken down on the highway.. there's a number to call to get road service or something... what was it? 611?
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Farmgirl
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Those numbers they post never seem to work from my cell phone. I think you must have to subscribe to a "certain" service for them to work around here, I guess. I have tried it several times.

FG

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Storm Saxon
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I think every time I've ever given a ride to someone, they turned out to be hookers. It's kind of sad how un-street smart I am.
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Glenn Arnold
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I used to hitchhike a lot, between home and college.

By the way, I was told by a police officer that it's not illegal to hitchhike on the interstate, provided you hitch at the entrance to a ramp, not on the highway itself. It turns out that you get more rides that way anyway, because it's easier for people to stop.

Also, if you carry a sign saying where you are going, people are more likely to pick you up, partly because they can judge whether they are going your way, but also because you look like you really have someplace to go. I used to have a binder with signs for all the exits between home and school. It was just part of my standard equipment.

Of course I pick up hitchhikers frequently. Not always, because I might be busy or something, but whenever I can. I figure it's "pay it forward," plus, it's just a really efficient way to get around. It doesn't cost me anything after all, unless I choose to go out of my way.

I found that gay guys pick up hitchhikers a lot. This may sound weird, but from their perspective it's a "safe" way to meet people. So I got used to them making a pass at me, after a few miles. I'd tell them I wasn't gay and that was the end of it. One guy picked me up 6 or 7 times, never made a pass at me, but I'm pretty sure he was hoping. Anyway I never had a negative experience with it.

I would never tell someone that they should pick up hitchhikers. I don't hold it against anyone for not picking me up either, although when you're freezing by the side of the road you can get pretty frustrated.

The scariest time I picked up a hitchhiker was when I picked up a guy in Pennsylvania with a sign that said "west coast." His girlfriend was hiding in the bushes, because they figured it would be harder to get a ride for two.

Anyway I was going to Illinois, and I figured I could get them pretty far along the way. Of course it was a long drive, and we talked a lot. Eventually I asked him to drive, since I was tired, and he had just woken up from a nap.

He drove - exactly 55 miles per hour. And as he was driving he told me he wanted to show me something, because he was afraid I'd see it by accident and get scared. He said he figured I'd feel safer if he was driving when he showed me: a hunting knife. Wicked looking thing. He said he was carrying it for protection, because he didn't know what might happen, hitchhiking and all.

When we reached Illinois, they got out, and he realized he couldn't find his knife. They practically tore my car apart looking for it under the seats. Finally they just left without it. I never found it in the car, so maybe it was somewhere in their luggage, or back at a truck stop somewhere.

Another time I picked up a hitchhiker and he said "I knew you were going to pick me up. I just prayed." I didn't say anything, and we just had a wierd silence for the rest of the trip.

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The Rabbit
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I have occasionally picked up hitchhikers, but never when I've been alone. I have hitchhiked a couple of times. Once when I missed the last bus from St. Wolfgang into Salzburg and once when we shredded a tire in the middle of the Navaho reservation.
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The Rabbit
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Oh, I've also hitchhiked a few times on hikes where we start at one trailhead and come out a different trail head and then hitchhike back to the first one. It's often easier than trying to plant a car at both ends.
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romanylass
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I've never picked up a hitchhiker. Even if it was a young woman, even with a kid, how do I know she won't slit my throat for drug money? I know how bad that sounds, but it seems too unsafe to me.
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Treason
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I picked up a guy hitchhiking once. It was around 10 pm and he looked sick. I found out when he got in the car that he and his friends had just left a hockey game and they had accidentaly left him behind. (They were all drunk, which explains why he looked sick) I was afraid the whole way to his house since I'm a girl and not a good fighter but he was really very nice and seemed to sense my fear. He was careful not to make sudden moves or loud noises. I wouldn't pick people up often though. Luckily I had a good experience.
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jexx
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I pick people up on post sometimes (I live on an Army base), but outside of that, there is the whole 'I have my child with me' factor.

My dad picked up a hitchhiker once when my brother and I were in the car (we were ten and twelve). It was in the middle of the desert and the man was raggedy looking. A desert rat, if you will. He told us all about eating toads. It was gross, but not scary. I know that my dad still picks up hitchhikers now and then. Dad likes to socialize with the fringe of society. Heh.

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Rakeesh
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I've picked up hitchhikers before. Hmmm, on like three occassions? Also stopped to give people a lift when their car was broken down. And to help people with a jumpstart or flat-tire. Of course, my perceived-risk factor is considerably lower than it could be. I mean, I'm a big guy, and neither my car or myself exactly scream money, so I'm less of a target than I could be.

I think it's a risk, but there are bigger risks out there. I mean, most criminal type predators are a bit more active in their hunting for victims...at least, that's what I like to think:)

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FlyingCow
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As strange as it sounds, I'm a lot more likely to pick up hitchhikers outside the US. I've done it plenty of times in Ireland and Scotland, and a few times in Canada - but only once in the US, and that was a special case.

Namely, she was cute, it was dark already, and it was raining. [Smile] Actually, she found out her father was in the hospital, and was walking from suburban NJ to downtown Newark (the train station) so she could go be with him. Yes, she must have been crazy.

But I don't trust Americans that much, which is kind of weird, I guess, being one of them.

In other countries, I'm in a backpacker mindset, it's a rental car, and I'm more likely to pickup backpacker types without even batting an eye.

Here, though? She'd have to be cute, and it'd have to be raining. [Big Grin]

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Raia
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I come from a culture where it's much more widely accepted than it is in the United States. It's not out of place at all, seeing a young soldier who just got leave and is trying to get home, somewhere along the highway in Israel. My dad and I once picked one up, and he slept on the backseat of the car for the entire drive, with my dad and I singing broadway musicals up front. We took him for about three hours, from the desert, into Jerusalem.

My ex boyfriend is an avid hitchhiker, as well. He lives a bit outside of Jerusalem, and whenever he'd come visit me, he would hitchhike into town. He was in Jerusalem at least once a day, if not more. If he couldn't catch any rides, he'd take the bus, but that would rarely happen. People just don't think it's weird, seeing a teenage boy flag them down and ask for a ride into and out of Jerusalem. I, personally, was a bit worried about him that that was his main mode of transportation, but I guess it wasn't really up to me.

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Tante Shvester
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I'm nervous about picking up hitch hikers, but I give old ladies rides home from the supermarket all the time. I'm not sure how they GOT to the supermarket, but they'll come up to me as I'm checking out or leaving, and ask me for a ride home. I guess I seem friendly and harmless, and I am a soft touch, so even if I am running late and have no time to do it, I do it anyway. And my excuse for being late can be "Sorry I'm late, but I needed to help an old lady home".

Who can hold THAT against me?

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