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Old 02-03-2012, 04:54 AM
 
Location: United States of America
208 posts, read 834,248 times
Reputation: 142

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I would greatly appreciate informative answers. But I am seriously considering hitchhiking (from NJ to California---with dozens of stops along the way.) The reasoning behind it are irrelevant. But I've collected friends from Minnesota, Denver, Utah, LA, etc. and would have been giving hitchhiking some serious thought.
But in the year 2012, is it really that dangerous?
I've known people who had done it, and their stories seem to not be so horrific.
Like, it wasn't like someone was chasing them with a chainsaw. (I'm being sarcastic, but you get what I mean.)

Has anyone hitchhiked or know someone who has in the 2000s??

Interested in hearing all your stories. I'll chime in from time to tome as well.

Thanks ya'll!!!
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Old 02-03-2012, 05:22 AM
 
3,638 posts, read 3,758,433 times
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It has always been dangerous, and still is, IMO. I think the chances you'll make it safely are pretty good. It's not a risk I'd take.
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Old 02-03-2012, 07:44 AM
 
Location: Valdez, Alaska
2,758 posts, read 5,261,580 times
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Broke tourists and summer workers hitch pretty frequently out here. Just saw a couple of snowboarders trying to get a lift up to the Pass yesterday. Don't know if I'd do it most other places.
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Old 02-03-2012, 07:59 AM
 
570 posts, read 1,335,034 times
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Not sure whether the OP is male or female, but IMHO I sure wouldn't consider hitching, being female! It seems that would just be asking for trouble.
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Old 02-03-2012, 08:08 AM
 
11,289 posts, read 26,093,226 times
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I'd almost think it would be more dangerous today than in the past. It use to be much more common in the past. A few of my relatives did it back in the 40's through 60's. It was a way to get around when you didn't have money.

Today it's much more rare, and today people are MUCH more terrified of other citizens than in the past. Whereas people might have been more inclined to stop and give a lift in the past, today we're brought up to judge and be afraid of everyone. It's a different kind of person who pulls over and picks up a stranger. It's more the naive and happy-go-lucky and the dangerous crowds. Not as much the average Joe.
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Old 02-03-2012, 08:26 AM
 
Location: Center City
7,528 posts, read 10,205,702 times
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The last time I hitchhiked was a couple of decades back when I went from Tucson to San Diego getting several rides along the way. Upon arrival, I found a cheap hotel room and turned on the TV while getting settled. The local news was on and the lead story was of a female hitchhiker who had had both arms cut off by a driver who picked her up. I returned to Tucson by Greyhound.

If a friend asked me for advice, I would ask them why they would take such a risk and endure such inconvience when there are so many safe, comfortable, affordable and reliable ways to travel? You may feel the reasoning behind your consideration of hitchhiking is irrelevant. I feel it is at the heart of the matter.
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Old 02-03-2012, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,675,074 times
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The only danger for the hitchhiker is the risk of freezing to death waiting for someone to pick him up. It is the motorist who perceives the danger of picking up a hitchhiker. As a result of our society being completely terrified of its own shadow, hitchhiking is virtually impossible to do, and as a result, it may actually be true that nobody in his right mind would try to hitchhike except some desperado intent on harming some hapless motorist.

The American people have not stopped picking up hitchhikers so much out of fear for their own safety, but instead have adopted a social mindset of insulation from "the wrong kind of people", and hitchhikers are categorized as the wrong kind of people, and drivers just don't want to deal with the wrong kind of people in their car (or anywhere else). Americans are terrified that a person in genuine need will politely ask them for food or money, and there is a strong tendency nowadays to avoid letting oneself get into situation in which one needs to decide whether to comply with such a request. So people will go to great lengths to avoid encountering a person who might be in need of a small favor.
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Old 02-03-2012, 05:23 PM
 
Location: United States of America
208 posts, read 834,248 times
Reputation: 142
Quote:
Originally Posted by daydreamin71 View Post
Not sure whether the OP is male or female, but IMHO I sure wouldn't consider hitching, being female! It seems that would just be asking for trouble.
I'm Male.

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And gosh, thanks everyone for the replies. I thought I was going to get a lot of judgmental comments, but appreciate all the input.
The reasoning behind me wanting to go hitchhiking is a combination of a couple of things.
One---from June 2008 to February 2011 I was traveling across this nation. I had cash so I did a combination of trains and buses. I even spent six months in India where I did the same thing.
I was on a bus heading toward Utah where I met a cool guy who occasional hitchhiked. He said that he never really encountered anyone dangerous. The most he was in "danger" was a male trucker who kept coming on to him and feeling his leg, and wanted to have sex with him. But the guy just pulled out his knife and the weird trucker let him out. (something I would do, pull out a knife that is, not come on to a hitchhiker LOL).
So I never forgot that guy and always had hitchhiking in the back of my mind.
I literally have no money. And I don't mean I have no money, except for the couple thousand dollars in my savings. NO...I really do mean I have no cash. I suppose I could get family to give me a couple hundred bucks for food or what not. But I thought I'd give hitchhiking a go. I've been on city-data for awhile, and have talked to Americans from every aspect of Americana life. So I thought I'd ask you all and get an accurate response.
I know hitchhiking in 2012 seems to be a bit of an archaic means of transportation.
Last year when I was driving from Los Angeles to New Jersey I drove past some hitchhikers in El Paso. I was THISCLOSE to picking him up. But there was lots of cars on the road, and I couldn't pull over in time. So when I did he was to far. And I thought about yelling at him to come over, but then I figured I was putting way to much energy into picking up a hitchhiker. So I drove off, telling myself that I would pick up the next guy I saw. But for the rest of the trip I never saw another one.
I guess I was what Chicago60614 was talking about. I suppose I was naive and happy-go-lucky. I just wanted to help a brother out, you know??

I'm still thinking about it, but I'm not dim. I'm not going to do something that would put me in danger. I just wanted to find out if it is just simply common thought that hitchhiking is DANGEROUS, or if in reality it really isn't. You know?

Last edited by xpxexaxcxex; 02-03-2012 at 05:45 PM..
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Old 02-03-2012, 05:31 PM
 
Location: Clovis Strong, NM
3,376 posts, read 6,081,487 times
Reputation: 2031
I honestly picked up my first hitchhiker back in October while driving between Green River UT and Grand Junction CO.
Some back-packing Aussie kid trying to get to Moab.
Couldn't go all the way down the 6, but offered to take him to it.

Despite all the negatives about my job over the last year, cool kids like this and those pulling their arms down imitating a truck horn still bring smiles to my face.
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Old 02-03-2012, 05:48 PM
 
Location: United States of America
208 posts, read 834,248 times
Reputation: 142
Quote:
Originally Posted by bentstrider View Post
I honestly picked up my first hitchhiker back in October while driving between Green River UT and Grand Junction CO.
Some back-packing Aussie kid trying to get to Moab.
Couldn't go all the way down the 6, but offered to take him to it.

Despite all the negatives about my job over the last year, cool kids like this and those pulling their arms down imitating a truck horn still bring smiles to my face.
Maybe you can pick me up too! LOL

I plan on getting to Green River. I got loads of friends in Moab and used to work there also.
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