Is hitchhiking safe?

Do you guys ever travel(ed) by hitchhiking? I used to do this when I was a teenager, since it saved money and used to travel a lot on a very limited budget then. People often discouraged it, since you never know if the driver that picks you up is not a psycho or kidnapper, but back then I used to thought the risk was minimal. I'm not sure if it was wise from the younger me, although I live in a relatively safe country, and besides, even then I only hitchiked during the day.

 

I used to see this all the time and wanted to even try it. But then as I grew up, the only time hitchhiking seemed safe was on a Spongebob episode. Knowing my luck, I would be the person who picked up the cannibal trying to hitchhike himself away from a crime scene. But now I live in Japan...where I don't think I've ever seen someone hitchhiking.

 

Hitchhiking may be a tradition in your place but in our country, it is not. If you are a male, I guess you can try the adventure but if you are a female then you are exposing yourself to a potential rape.

A few days ago there was this rape incident where 2 women took a public van for a night trip. Along the way, the driver and his cohort declared a holdup. But after divesting the 2 women, aged 22 and 27, of their belongings, the guys raped the 27-year old and played with the sexual parts of the 22-year old who was having her period. The driver was arrested yesterday and admitted to the crime with the reason that he was under the influence of drugs. What a sad news.

 

I don't trust it at all. Even if I was the hitchhiker, I would have to ask myself what type of person picked up hitchhikers. I don't know how stable they would be or what they might require in return. Really shady business.

 

It's a lot safer than people tend to assume, but it's far from 100% safe. I've picked up 2 hitchers in my life, and had no trouble. One was a fairly old man, one was a guy in his 20's. It's funny how people are scared of both hitch-hiking and picking them up, which one is meant to be the crazy monster again?

 

I believe it is safer for males than for females. And I would suggest that women do not pick up any hitch hikers at all. Better to be safe and go home to your friends and family than them coming to see you in a coffin.

 

Hitchhiking may or may not be safe. That's the difficult part about it. It's really just a gamble. And it depends on how bad you need a ride!

 

I have hitchhiked before as a teen. It is quite popular here among the youth in Germany and is not forbidden.
I don't do it anymore but whenever I did do it, I was not alone.
I always had a friend with me. We had many adventures together and it was always a risk being in a stranger's car.
We got picked up by truck drivers before but I will never do it again...
I have also taken hitchhikers with me before but not when I am alone and I would especially take women with me because I would not want them to get harmed even though I do not know them.
But you know what if you think about it, even a taxi driver can be a creep. Takign a taxi is quite similar to taking a ride only tahat you pay for it:
You need a ride, you go into a taxi, the driver is also a stranger to you.
I remember taking a taxi from the airport to get to my hotel in UAE and the taxi was not yellow but black.
I kind of freaked out a bit because I was not sure if he really was a taxi driver or not.
It turned out that he was but it can turn into creepy scenarios....

 

I have never done it, and I will never do it.
No way on earth I am taking that kind of risk, and if I have a say I'll never let anyone I love do it to - they can just call me if they desperately need a ride and wait for me where they are.

People are unpredictable. Yeah, no. No way.

 

Hitchhiking is just as dangerous as being on the road any other way
Stastically the driver of a vehicle is in most danger while on the road!
Hitchhikers run a risk but about the same as anyone else
I know one girl that hitch's almost constantly Her remarks were give them an easy polite handjob first up and nothing further was needed
Some even gave her food money!
She is a loose girl but has always been safe
so far!

 

I dispute this. Hitchhiking gives the driver a sense of power about where they actually decide where you go.
You decline a ride, in general they look for someone else, you get in, you're at their mercy.

 

Is this dispute from personal experience? hitchhiker side or psycho-driver side?
I have yet to hear any firsthand accounts of this.
Do you get a sence of power picking up hitchhikers?

 

Good point, I usually hitchhiked alone but travelling with a friend is always safer. What kind of experience did you have with truck drivers? Are they really that bad, as some people suggest?

 

HItchhking is neither dangerous nor safe IMHO. I'm sure even truck drivers often wonder if the person who is trying to hitch a ride is a psycho. Same thing that would go through the hitch hiker's mind.

I think if you stick with trucks only, you'll be safe. Tales of truck drivers being bad are greatly exaggerated.

 

It's never "safe" to put yourself at the mercy of a stranger. Statistically, you're not likely to be murdered, but it's not a safe practice, especially if you're a female. You don't know who they are, what they do, how mentally stable they are, if they have any weapons with them. People do die from being picked up/picking strangers up. It's something that can happen. There's always an inherent risk with things like that.

 

Hitchhiking is never safe and if this is your primary way of traveling then you must realize that there are numerous possibilities and not all of them are in your favor.

Do your best to protect yourself just in case something goes wrong. If you do not have a gun then at least have some pepper spray or a stun gun.

It is extremely hard to judge the character if the people who you are being picked up by. Some times you can feel a vibe that isn't right and if you don't feel safe then ask to be dropped off earlier.

 

It is extremely dangerous especially nowadays because we have people who are selfish and lack morals. Don't get me wrong there were evil people before, but moreso today. I heard that truckers are generally safer, but I have heard horror stories involving them. I think hitchhiking is taking your life in your own hands and if something happens that is your fault. Play stupid games win stupid prizes. It is unfortunate, I'm sure there are helpful people out there that wouldn't do anything, but people are not the same anymore.

 

Personally, i think hitchhiking is dangerous. If you want to hitch a ride, you should be open to the possibility that the person behind the wheel might have some evil plans for you, so you have to be prepared and equipped for that possibility. You have no reason to trust the strangers anyway just because they stopped for you, just be alert and prepared the whole time you're with them.

 

Just take every precaution that you need to in order to be prepared. If you are a female, you must have something on your person to fend off an attacker if you need to. If you are not licensed to carry a gun then you can get pepper spray, or even tasers. If you can not find either of those then please carry a blade that is within legal guidelines to have on your person. It is a dangerous world out there, especially for women in these situations. Be safe.

 

I wouldn't hitchhike and I would also never pick up a hitchhiker. If you are hitchhiking, you are getting into a car with a complete stranger that you know nothing about. They could be a killer for all you know. The majority of people that offer hitchhikers rides are just normal people but I don't think it's worth the risk of getting into a strangers car. If you are going to hitchhike it is important that you have pepper spray or a taser on you to keep you safe.

 

I have not done this... one of my friends from Britain did it. He met a lot of people, some good, some bad. The last person he met robbed him of everything he had.

Probably not the smartest way to travel unless you are in a big group? But then, how many people would pick up a group of hitchhikers?

 

Hitchhiking is not safe as there are too many crazy people in this world. However, you can make it safe for yourself by carrying a weapon close to you, and keep your eye on the driver and anyone else in the vehicle. The slightest suspicious action could reveal a plot against you, so be aware of the exits and locks of the vehicle; they could be a life saver.

 

No, it's not safe, and you are kidding yourself if you think it is. I admit, I did it a time or too out of desperation when I was a younger person, but I would never do it now. You are putting yourself at someone elses mercy. My friend hitchhiked all over the British Isles when he was young, but he was a big, strong kid, and certain areas are probably safer than others.

 

It's safe in US or Europe but people dont know what hitchiking is in Asia. People think that you're catching a taxi and it's quite dangerous.

 

In the 60s and 70s there were a lot of hitchhikers. I did some of it and also used to pick them up. Now I seldom do it though. That said, I gave a guy a ride to town last week. He was having troubles and was laying on the ground on the side of the road. Me and another guy stopped and checked to make sure he hadn't had a heat stroke. He was ok but had gotten a little too hot and tired so I gave him a ride to town and a couple bottles of water. Things are a little different in the rural places. If it had been the side of the Interstate I probably wouldn't have stopped.

To some small extent when you get out away from the big cities a lot of things are still the way they were in the past. If I see someone broke down on the road I will sometimes stop and help if nobody has stopped yet. If a lady breaks down it isn't unusual for more then one person to stop. That way she has help and the security of several people there to make sure the men are gentlemen. You never know when it could be your wife or daughter that needed the help. People here are not very worried about getting robbed but ladies get nervous and I don't blame them.

 

Hitch hiking is still pretty common around here, most of the time it's people that you at least know by sight but outsiders also get lifts if they need them. I ignore people who have pissed me off but they can always catch a lift off someone else. Some of the smaller towns or villages get no bus service at all and the last train was in the days of my grandparents. I often give lifts and I've never had a moments grief giving anyone a ride. Longest lift I've given was mid Wales to Ardingly......no charge, it helped pass the overnight journey down to West Sussex.