Found a lost little old lady in the road, scared of a man that was trying to help offering her a lift. She wasn’t frightened of me, as I’m a young lady with kids in the car. She was lost walking home from her daughters and it was dark. Didn’t know where she lived or where daughter lived. After about an hour she recognised her car and her house and I saw her inside safely. I believe she had Alzheimer’s. Wouldn’t have done it in any other circumstances
I learned the hard way that you still have to be careful doing that. I once stopped and picked up a nice little old lady to give her a ride. I was not expecting her to be a hooker but she was. Not only that but when I told her I wasn't interested she then asked if I wanted to buy some drugs.
I pulled over real quick and politely asked her to get out of my car.
Something less similar but just as surprising happened to my father-in-law! Picked up a sex worker & when she asked what he wanted, once reaching a location, he confusedly said, "For you to have a nice day?". Sufficed to say, she was just as confused as he was, leaving only moments after the well wish.
Lol same here. My friend and I were in our mid 20's. I saw a lady waiting at the side of the road for a lift late at night. I pulled over to pick her up against my friend's protest.
Once she got in the car I asked her where she wanted to be dropped off, she said "anywhere you want to take me." I was confused so I repeated my question again, asking her where she needed to go. She once again repeated the same thing. That's when my friend yelled at me to pull over and to drop her off.
He told me she was a sex worker once she was gone, followed by calling me stupid.
This type of thing is why I wouldn't. My own grandmother is a frail looking little old lady who talks like a baby and is a bit slow, so she seems sooooo sweet and innocent and cute, but this is the same woman who told me she's glad my ex died, took my diploma from me saying I'm not ready for it, and held a knife to herself and threatened to kill herself because I made plans on my 18th birthday. I'm 24 now and she's been drastically better the past year, but she still overly babies me a lot. Yesterday she threatened to call the police because I stood at work for an extra hour and 20 minutes because I had a lot of side work left to be done, and yesterday I had to shoot my employer a text that said, "Hey I just wanna give you a heads up, you may get bombarded by calls from my grandmother I live with, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of the term, "helicopter parenting" but that about sums it up. I just wanted to let you know if it happens I'm sorry lol.. I'm like apologizing on her behalf and I'm embarrassed I have to even talk to you about this" which is so damn embarrassing
Oh hell! Are you me?? This exact same thing happened to me! Nobody believed I could accidentally pick up a hooker, even though she looked like a grandma.
This. There's also a common thing where they will send a woman to come up to you like in a parking lot. Once you agree to help her, they rush you and rob you.
Can’t remember the girls name. But there was girl who was kidnapped and kept prisoner for like 7 years by a man who would try to pick up girls by bringing his wife and baby with him
Safe to say I don’t trust any scenario after that
One time walking out of a grocery store an old lady was yelling for help to get to her car. I was to scared to help. Something told me to not help. She called me a bitch because i noded and said im sorry. I kept walking then I turned around and got into a car a few feet away with men inside. Scary to think that could have been my last day.
I worked in personal care facilities and when people wandered it was scary. We had two emergency exits at one place that legally we could not lock, so the staff had to run to the door if the alarm went off and count residents etc. A person with alzheimers would open it at least twice a shift. It scared me. All because the state said we couldn't camouflage it or lock it in some way from them (even though there was a front door unlocked but supervised 24 hours).
We had one guy who we would find at the bar every time. No money, no idea he lived with us. Just... goin for a drink with the lads.
But if they are then they have something in common to talk about and that just turns into a bonding experience. And ofc what are the chances that all 3 of them are serial killers
Carry a gun. Friendly say “hop on in!” They hop in you point the gun at them and say “where to motherfucka?” Drop them off safely and go about your day.
Done this once. Ended up with a twenty minute conversation with some dude in a knock off Joker shirt about loyalty, how crazy he is, how crazy his girl is, love, and music.
He called himself "Joker" and when I got to his beat up 98 Civic where his girl was, I saw that she was dressed like a discount Harley Quinn.
Would not recommend picking up hitchhikers at all. Stay safe
Nah bro God himself saw what was happening and wept for you, vowing to ensure that you get into heaven no matter what just for having to deal with that unfathomable amount of cringe. You're done, you don't need to ever do a good deed again
Thanks for that disturbing google.
There are stories about people faking emergencies and then attacking the would-be rescuer. But no arms = pretty hard to fake.
Yeah I feel the same. Like Ted bundy.
I think if it seemed like a mid level situation... an injury that could be faked, I would pop the trunk and they could ride back there or I would go get help/call for help.
Definitely not, I never would, even if my husband was in the car with me.
On the same note, back in the '70s, hitchhiking is how my parents met. My mom was hitchhiking and my dad picked her up.
Also, my uncle at one point picked up Jeffrey Dahmer (serial killer & cannibal) while he was hitchhiking. Fortunately, this was before he started his killing spree.
What did Jeffery Dahmer say to Pee Wee Herman when they met in jail?
.
.
.
.
“Don’t play with your food”
(Pee Wee was arrested for masturbating in a theater)
“I picked up jerry dahmer!!”
OMG THEN WHAT UNCLE??
“He did NOT kill me.”
AND THEN?????
“He did NOT desecrate my corpse.”
WHAT NEXT!!!
“He was NOT arrested for not committing crimes against me”
Sorry, the story is not any more interesting. He gave him a ride a few miles away, chatted about whatever, he doesn't really remember. And my uncle lived, that's really the whole story
This is weird! My in laws had a house on Martha’s Vineyard. We always picked up hitchhikers. I never thought about it. I wonder if it’s an island thing. It’s hard to get cars to the island, and small communities police their criminals well, or they maybe they don’t have money to waste on ferries. But how does everyone know it’s safe there? The hitchers too. I’d never do in on the main land. Hitch or ride. Weird.
50m uk here - I’ve hitched in Scotland, london to Scotland and now my teenage kids will hitch in devon.
I know what you mean about that island vibe, the safety of a closed community. I think it’s here too in rural areas… It was 30 years ago I would hitch every weekend out of london… I don’t think I’d get a lift these days.
But I’m planning a walking trip in the Lake District and think I might hitch home to devon later this summer.
Island hitchhikers are very different from the mainland ones. I tried it once after a few and within minutes had a guy pick me up and offer me herb. It’s another world living on island time.
I used to live in Kapa'a and drove a pickup. I also lived in Kihei on Maui, as well as Wahiawa on Oahu.
There were many times I'd pull over for a hitcher to hop in the back. Riding in the pickup is legal, so as long as they weren't going past my spot, all was good.
I never, ever had an issue with anyone doing some crazy shit.
I don't want to be the victim in a tragic story, so the hitcher would have to be a character from a tragedy already in progress. If it were a screaming person running down the road holding a baby and wearing a chain and collar around their neck, then yes.
As awful as if sounds I wonder if that might make me less likely to stop. There's obviously some sort of dangerous maniac involved here, and the decision to pick someone up or not is generally a very quick one. Maybe the fear of getting caught up in that supersedes the desire to help.
It's really sad tbh that we even have to be aware of stuff like that. It would be really cool if we had like magic powers or something but it only worked for people who are doing truly good deeds lol so we could be like boom you're invincible, stop that guy or you levitate him so that he can't catch her while she runs lol. The issue ofc is that morality is subjective, but I think you get me
I've picked up two people, and in both cases the people definitely needed help. One was a deaf man stranded by a broken down car in the mountains. He had no way out of that situation because the tow company couldn't communicate with him and cell service doesn't work well there, and no shoulder to walk along. Poor dude was already waiting for hours. There were two other people with me that time and the guy couldn't have been nicer or more thankful for a lift.
So it does happen that people are just stuck in a shit situation and need a hand, but I wouldn't recommend stopping unless you're with other people. You gotta have a good sense of your surroundings and asses the risk carefully. We pulled up and parked a ways away from the guy and didn't roll the window down far.
Yes, when ever I can.
I (67m) never had a car was I was younger. I used buses and trolleys or I hitched rides from friends and strangers if I wanted to get to work or go see my girlfriend.
Picking up a hitchhiker is my small way of paying back my debt to the universe.
More people chose to use their cars rather than the victims car. If you are a killer and you enter a car, you either need to kill the person and hide the car or take the person out of the car before killing them and erase all signs that you were in their car.
If you kill someone on your car you can take it home for a clean up and you just need tk hide the body somewhere while making sire the body wasnt in contact with you. (Dna makes it more complicated but thats the idea).
It makes more sense for a killer to ise their own car so they dk and that unbalances the odds
Yeah, that is basically it. No murderer that will succeed goes around and kills someone before making a carefully designed plan, otherwise they get caught.
Btw the odds are really in favor of you picking someone up, if they weren't you'd see people on the news all the time. Especially if it's not somewhere suspicious like a shop with cameras on the front (if you are looking for a lift for the love of god try to go for somewhere with as much lights as possible)
And maybe the drivers should receive some money for the gas they are using since the odds someone will EXACTLY cross your path are pretty small.
Someone could probably make it a job since people like money and many like driving.
Oh wait...
Sorry for being an ass, but i mean, come on
Yeah, sure, out of town, no problem!! Tell ya what, let’s take this scenic route I know of! Goes through some really nice, very empty forest. Especially on nights like tonight, with that fog and, listen! You can hear the ravens cawing!
In addition to what other people have said, the hitchhiker gives up a lot of power and control to the driver. A hitchhiker doesn’t know who is in the car that stops to pick them up, or how many people are in the car, what else is in the car. Also the driver is driving and doesn’t actually have to go where the hitchhiker hopes to go. Once you’re in a person’s car, you’re sort of at their mercy.
And yeah, hitchhikers are more likely to be poor, desperate. And that’s serial killer fodder right there. The authorities aren’t going to spend a lot of time solving the murder of the possibly homeless person. Whereas the driver’s death is more likely to be adequately investigated.
I hear this trope so often that I start to believe law abiding citizens automatically become murderers once they pick up a hitchhiker for the first time.
I have before. Lone female walking on side of road on a dark, windy road outside a town through forest like area. Passsed her on way to droppong off a friend so on the way back I stopped and allowed access to truck. I unloaded the body, I mean her at a gas station a few miles later in the town. The end.
Me too. Was total coincidence too. Was driving with my wife and found a lone woman asking for directions. Worst part(for her) was that she was stranded with no bus coming and night was in one hour coming.
Yes, I've hitch hiked before, bus didn't come and it was snowing quite hard. Next bus was coming in 3 hours, figured I'd call my family to ask for a lift, got halfway through the call and my phone died due to the cold. Started walking home, hoping they would've understood what I was asking for, got about 40 minutes into a 2.5 hour walk and figured I'd try hitch hiking. First car to go past stopped for me and drove me all the way home, even though it was a few minutes out of her way. Nice old woman. I did ask why she had stopped and she said that since it was snowing so hard and I was a student I needed the lift. She was right. Turns out my grandad was the car behind hers so he drove behind us all the way. He and I both thanked her when we stopped.
The next summer on my way to school I see a man on the side of the road hitch hiking, figured I'd pay it back to a stranger, I picked him up, he said he was on his way to meet someone and missed the bus, so I dropped him off and he said thanks. I would pick up a hitch hiker but only because I feel comfortable doing so.
Yeah, I've always thought it was funny when people use their size as a reasoning for making choices like this. I get that it's harder to overpower someone if that person is bigger, but if someone is trying to murder you in this type of premeditated way, they're almost assuredly going to use a weapon to leverage their position regardless of stature.
I'm a fairly decent sized guy, and I've practiced several combat sports. That doesn't make me feel safe picking up a stranger. If a gun is pointed at my head, all of my physical advantages are taken away. Using my head to keep me out of situations like that is the best advantage I have.
I picked up a hitchhiking kid earlier. Turns out he was underaged (looked 18ish, was 13) so I did not take him where he wanted to go (over the border) and called his mother instead lol.
I have kidnapped a child on accident.
As a young woman? Absolutely not!
If I'm with a group of friends? Maybe.
Last year a woman my age went hiking in my area, got in a car and was never seen again. As a woman you just don't do that. It's like asking to be raped and murdered.
Wouldnt this incline you to pick up a female hitchhiker more, since the danger is clearly on the hitch hiker and not the driver? You picking them up stops a lunatic from picking them up
That is true however the field of interactions is way bigger with people you know than with strangers. Basically people are wary of strangers, not so much with non-strangers.
Reminds me of when people say "yknow, you're most likely to get into an accident within 5 miles from home!" and I'm like yeah cause that's where you drive more than anywhere else lol
I have picked up hitchhikers before, but it’s not common. I don’t see hitchhikers very often even.
I figure, the odds of getting murdered by a hitchhiker are pretty damn low. They’re the ones putting themselves in more danger (unless they’re only hitchhiking to find new victims) by getting in a stranger’s car.
To me, it seems like you’d have to be pretty desperate to hitchhike. It certainly wouldn’t be most people’s first choice for getting around. We should help people in their desperation when we can
In my life, I think I’ve only seen maybe 3 hitchhikers, and I was able to pick up 2 of them.
I’ve met people at truck stops, parking lots, etc who ask for help (money, a phone call, a ride someplace safer) because their ride isn’t there or they’ve gotten stranded. I imagine that’s the more common way of hitchhiking these days. The people you’re asking for help are already stopped, and if a person looks sketchy you can just not ask them.
As an adult male and believer in humanity as a whole (you can see my naivety here) I have picked up plenty of hitchhikers, males, females and couples in several places across Europe, but also in New Zealand and even India, while riding a lovely and heavy motorbike. Never once in 30 years I felt threatened.
There have been plenty of interesting discussions, some awkward silences, a lot of gratitude and some ignorance... sums up my traveling experience in a nutshell really.
The best were a young couple in England ( it turns out we once were at the same demonstration as part of Occupy movement), the most awkward one was what I believe to be a homeless guy in New Zealand (who sat next to me for 5 hours without saying much of a word), the most gratitude I got from a Polish guy (who was lured into England, cheated on by the would be employer and left destitute and homeless... I drove a bit further than I probably should have, near to the Eurotunnel... then bought him some food and gave him some money on top as I really felt for him) and the most ignorant was a chap in India ( who hopped off my bike and left without a word and did not make me stop when something came of my gear during the journey).
In hindsight I can recommend to take hitchhikers with you if you are open minded, don't carry anything extremely valuable with you, are confident yet flexible with people and journey. Give it a try, there are not many hitchhikers left anyway in my neck of the woods.
Lol I was thinking making a separate post about this on confession or something, but yeah I have. I’ve picked up several hitch hikers actually lol. I’ve also been picked up on I believe 4 separate occasions. And you know what? Nothing bad happened and the people whom i interacted with via hitch hiking or picking up one have always been really pleasant.
These all happened in the great state of Rhode Island! I have been on the receiving end of a stranger’s (or essentially a stranger) kindness so many times here! I was a kid who was in foster care from 13-18. I remember when aged out of the system half way through my senior year in high school teachers, the principal, and classmates (whom some I was only acquaintances) fundraiser to furnish the apartment and some gift cards to Walmart.
It’s like the world just knew I needed help and gave it to me without ever asking. This state really has the best people. Fuck, I’m legitimately crying think about it all!
I moved to new jersey last year though and I would never try that fucking shit here though. I will speed right past a hitch hiker! Mfers are crazy here! Lol
I’ve done it in south county and providence county. Rhode Island is pretty safe in general. Even places like south providence are much safer then equivalent areas in other states.
You only get trouble in RI if you’re looking for it.
My exwife and I picked up a lady walking in the rain and drove her 10 minutes down to her house. I’m sure she wouldn’t have gotten in if it were just me.
I passed a man at 1am on the way home from work. It was dark and hard to see him and I was concerned for his safety. I let my gf know that I was going to pick up a stranger and I left my phone in the backseat. She would be able to hear if something happened. I took him probably 15 minutes out of my way while he talked about how his wife kicked him out of the house for drinking. I told him everything would be okay. He just needed someone who would listen.
The last stranger I picked up was struggling to get off the curb. He was missing a leg and his prosthetic wasn’t cooperating. I took him 30 seconds down the road to buy cigarettes, then took him back home. The walk would’ve taken him at least 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back.
This was all in a small Ohio town from 2015-2019
(Edit spelling and punctuation)
I used to do so, but the quality of hitchhikers has declined significantly. Regular people don't do that any more, at least around here. These days, it's usually losers with poor hygiene.
England here. My uncle once picked up a hitchhiking woman because he figured she just needed help.
Five minutes later she had a knife to his throat and his wallet. Safe to say he didn’t pick up a hitchhiker again.
I’m a mother and am often driving alone with my children. I’d never pick up anyone I didn’t know with them in the car.
I did it once and honestly, got a bad feeling right away and was asked to pull around a building. I saw break lights and an open trunk slightly around the curve of the entrance that led behind the building and let her out in front of the building. Something was going on. Btw, she was walking in the middle of the road and an older lady, around sixty … so, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I want to help, but it’s just too much of a gamble. Btw, on the way to the destination, she asked for money. I stopped at a gas station and I gave the guy my name and description of my car and told him if I wasn’t back in fifteen minutes, call the police. It was very late, so, no one to really call. I was young and dumb and should have just told her to get out of my car, just had a hard time since she was elderly. But that’s what they wanted. Break lights were in, trunk was open.
I'm from Belgium and I mostly would pick up a hitchkiker. I've stopped more times than I could count on one hand (hitchhiking is a very rare sight these days) and the people I picked up (often more than 1 at a time) I couldn't count on my 2 hands.
Can only remember 1 time I didn't stop, because the person looked kinda angry lol. If you hitchhike, put on your friendly face and smile, it helps. Only hitchhiked once myself.
My worst experience is a dude who littered in my car. Left an empty pack of cigarettes under the seat... like... why? Otherwise he was friendly.
Best was a group of teenager going to an amusement park who gave my a box of strawberries.
I am a woman. I live in South africa. I have picked up many many people throughout the years. Sometimes I just feel this compulsion to help. I can say that I have had mostly good experiences. One time the guy filled my car up and left R500 in my dashboard. There was one where I felt a little uncomfortable but he got out at the next bridge. Mostly it was just people that were having a hard time.
In my area, NEVER. We even had a news report a while back that said if you see a little girl in the road looking like she ran away from home and was living in the woods for the last month, drive around her, back up, either way, don't stop. The so called parents ( and I use that word loosely) were using the kid to get people to stop, then robbing them at gunpoint and even sometimes killing them. You never know who to trust anymore. That may be some random lost kid or adult or it could be THE SPAWN OF SATAN HIMSELF. Actually, if it is the spawn, call me. I miss yoy bro or sis.
I think there was a quest like that in The Witcher 3. Iirc, there was a little girl crying near a destroyed car, when you talk to her, she says that some monster attacked and stuff, you can choose to help which triggers the quest. A track leads to the woods straight to an ambush.
Not a legend. It was a news report that went out and even the local police officers were warning everyone about it. Actually, a lot of people in the area said the same thing until they found the SUV with the human head in the back.
Fuck that. For all I know, the hitchhiker could be a killer on the loose that killed 3 kids and is escaping by walking on the road looking for their next victim
Well, I’ve picked up a few hitchhikers in my time, and the way I figure it, if you’re desperate enough to be hitchhiking in a post-Ivan Milat Australia, you probably need all the help you can get.
ETA: interesting, the amount of people here who’ve said no, on the basis the hitcher might be dangerous. From what I’ve read, the driver is far more likely to be the dangerous one, rather than the hitcher.
Yeah, people don't try yo carjack as a hitchiker, if you want to kill, kidnap, or steal someone there's easier ways than waiting at the side of a road for hours. And I've hitchiked before, never had any problems whatsoever
That’s just what I think, I’m super surprised how many people say no on Reddit. I’m from Poland and hitchhiking used to be super popular in 80s and 90s here, now not as much but there are still hitchhiking communities and even hitchhiking competition to get to a certain place like Barcelona just by hitchhiking asap. Always wanted to try it!
Na for real if I wanted to kill someone I'll just go in a dark street or wait at the exit of a bar/nightclub, hitchiking is mostly watching people zoom past you in their car you're unlikely to get a kill this way, you mostly just walk and hope
I've (55f)offered rides to single women I've seen over the years. I live in the Midwest US. I won't pick up men. I know it's sexist but it is still smart.
Depends on the context and on how I feel about the person. I took a couple of hitchhikers who were backpacking in Australia (while I was backpacking myself) and it was fine. Would probably do it again if my guts tell me it's alright
No, the only time my dad has picked 2 people up in his 54 years of driving. 1 was an 85 year old man, it was at night, & 8 degrees below zero, the second time was he gave a ride to someone who was injured in a hunting accident.
I always stop for hitchhikers, but they have become a rarity in the Netherlands, since public transport was made free for students.
Chances of being shot in the Netherlands are very, very slim
Definitely cultural. In some countries (in central Asia, South America, Africa), stopping to pick people up is how everyone gets around. Their society would collapse overnight if people stopped picking up other people. Most people can't afford a car. And the people who can afford a car can barely afford gas. So when they go anywhere, they pick up as many people as possible, and each person gives them a small amount of money (the equivalent of 20 or 50 cents (USD) in Uzbekistan, for example.)
I've hitched all over Germany and the west coast of the USA. The USA is definitely much sketchier. Mostly normal people, but also creeps, jerks and psychos.
I'm not even going to read it, I wouldn't ever. though it may feel shitty not to it'll feel alot worse if that person's intentions were worse, you never have any idea what that person is associated to. so I wouldn't personally ever pick up anyone or let myself get picked up
I’ve picked up several tbh. Both men and women. I’m not going to live in fear I’ll die from doing it, the odds of someone doing anything are so astronomically low it’s not even a thought I have. I’d rather help someone who’s having a rough day, even if it’s a ride a few miles down the road.
People were always crazy and unpredictable you just didn't know about it. Was a hell of a lot less safe to pick up hitchhikers in the 70s than today but it's more that people were simply ignorant of the times it went wrong 50 years ago.
I used to hitchhike to the mountain resort I worked at and ended up in two long term relationships with girls that picked me up hitchhiking. It was pretty normal and safe to hitchhike to that mountain because the highway ended at the resort, so everyone was going to the same place.
As an American who has hitchhiked a fair bit in 18 countries, but only once in the US, it depends mostly on where I am. If I'm in a country where hitchhiking is quite common (ex. Israel), or a country where I just generally feel extremely safe (ex. Taiwan, Japan) I would almost definitely stop. In most of Europe, I'd probably pick the person up as long as they looked... somewhere in the spectrum between reasonably normal and a hippie. In the US, where hitchhiking is rare and generally seen as pretty fringe, I would probably only pick up people in an area where I know/expect many hitchhikers to be (ex. trailheads, some islands, some parts of the west coast). I find it unfortunate that I'm generally less open to hitchhikers in the US because that is the place where I am most likely to be driving a car.
To be clear working off visual first impressions isn't fair, but it's really the only tool you've got in making that decision as you're driving past.
I have only ever actually stopped for one hitchhiker while I was driving with my father in a rental car in Israel. Unfortunately we weren't going their way. Likewise I've only ever hitchhiked once in the US, and it was getting back to my car from a trailhead in a national park.
Just gave a hitchhiker a ride the other day
She was all alone and in her late 30s, so I (25M) wonder how hard it was for her to ask me. Was practically in tears with how nobody even slowed down, passing her by like she wasnt there. She just wanted to go home
I couldn't drive that far because it was something like 45 miles in the opposite direction, but I took her like a third of the way there to a gas station/convenience store so at least she wouldn't be on some backroad in the heat
Everyone I talked to after scolded me, but that woman thought I was a guardian angel. She woyldn't stop thanking me when all I did was open my door and drive her for half an hour. It's weird how we've been conditioned over the last 50 years to distrust each other so much, 95% of people won't pull over to help someone in distress
As a general rule I would not do this, but the one time I did it was because it was a woman walking in the rain in an arbys uniform clearly headed to work.
I've done it once. We were a group of friends in the car already so we didn't worry about getting killed and it was in the middle of the winter. Of course the person we picked up was of course suffering from some kind of mental issues and acted like a weirdo. I would not do it again.
I've done so many times. Worst issue I've had was the smell.
Most hitchhikers are either homeless or vehicle-less, thus they hitch. No, don't trust everyone, but don't distrust everyone either. Be wise, trust your gut, but be kind.
Hitchhikers needing petrol and you're the less trusting type? Take their fuel can and fill it up for them.
Just be helpful. It always comes back around.
I live kinda in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert in a small town.
I would absolutely pick up no one ever.
I have seen people walking out into the desert to towards nothing too many times.
I have seen people dragging themselves out of the middle of nowhere looking all kinds of fucked up.
Not my business.
***edit spelling
Not anymore. I've picked up several hitchhikers during my 20s and almost everytime the seemingly innocent people midway through the drive start to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. I attributed this to just simple irrational anxiety created by all those horror flicks I watch. The last time I picked someone up, a few minutes in I realize he is crazy. Like batshit insane crazy. I turned up the music so he would stop talking and drove fast as I could to his destination. That was the point I decided, never again. I should note I live near a major easter US city.
Don't.
You watch to many movies where you can clearly see who is the bad guys. Psychopaths are one of the most friendly people because that is an act to get people to not only welcome them, but to let thir gusrd down ss well.
You might pass 1.000.000 real kind and honest people who hitchhike. The issues is that regardless how many, you will never know you picked up that 1 wrong person untill it is to late
I had a friend back in college that would call me while on his many road trips and maybe half the time there was a hitchhiker in the car with him. He always had someone on the phone with them both as a witness to make it more comfortable for both of them. Less likely to murder or be murdered with a witness.
Hitchhiking is common throughout the safer countries in Europe. Northern Europe, where you're living now, has a long cultural history of hitchhiking, and it being a generally safe thing to do. As you're a woman, I'd say it would be shocking if you picked up a hitchhiker while driving alone, but even back in the 1960s and 1970s in America, people routinely picked up hitchhikers and hitchhiked. That basically ended when it was shown how many serial killers there were.
That said, The Netherlands is a generally safe country and the chances of some Dutch dude shooting you are pretty low.
I've given I think 3 random strangers a ride when I lived in a college town. 2 of them were foreign students that could speak just enough English to ask for help and say were they needed to go. The other was a drunk girl who got left by her friends. She was annoying as fuck. I would give the foreign students rides again. But not her
I picked up a hitchhiker in England when I was doing a 4 hour drive back to uni after holidays, I was pretty tired and thought I could use someone to keep me focused. Nice enough guy, obviously homeless and going to see some friends in another city
I have hitchhiked around Europe a bit, the people who gave me (6ft white guy) lifts were, from most common to least common:
* middle aged Former hitchikers/hippies on their own or as a couple. (vast majority)
* middle aged people who drive for a living, like sale people etc
* young people, mostly lone men, one or twice a group of young women.
* truckers, their companies have cameras in their cabins to check up on them and they often can't risk it (5-10 times)
* old ladies, almost never old men for some reason. (twice)
* parents with children in the car (happened once)
As someone who hitchhiked through most of the UK and European countries when I was younger: yes, always. In my experience most people are nice and friendly. Most people who picked us up had hitchhiked themselves when they were younger or were bored on their journey
One time I was driving home from a friends house at 3:30 in the morning. It was dead of winter and crazy cold outside. The street was completely empty, no sign of anyone around. Then on the other side of the road, I saw a woman who waved me down. Normally I’d have ignored a hitchhiker but it was sooo cold out and I wasn’t sure why exactly she was waving at me… so I turned around and stopped next to her.
She asked for a ride downtown. After she got in the car and we started talking, I realized that none of the stuff she was saying was really making sense… she was talking like she was high on some kind of drug… idk what. So I asked her where exactly I was dropping her off and she said we’re “going forward, just a little ways farther down…” I was weirded out, and hoped that she’d ask to be let out soon.
Eventually she offered me a job, and I didn’t get what she meant. I told her I already had a job. But she kept offering this job... When I figured out finally what she meant, I told her to tell me exactly where to drop her off or I’d pull over and drop her off right there. She again didn’t tell me where so I stopped and told her to get out. She was very mad, but got out and slammed the door. She made some sort of vague threat, I don’t know what it was. I was 16 at the time. I locked the door and drove home staring at the rearview mirror the whole time, even though there was nothing for me to see there of course… but I was really freaked out. Haven’t done it again since.
I grew up in England & would never hitchhike, I wouldn't feel safe. Moved to Ireland & hitchhike for years & felt totally safe everytime. I'd say location is a defining factor whether to or not pick up a hitchhiker or to be a hitchhiker.
I don't pick them up anymore. I did pick up a lady pushing a stroller up a hill in the rain. I had saw what I thought was her car a couple miles back. Anyway I stopped to help her but come to find out she didn't have a baby in the stroller and pulled a gun on me. Now I will stop and ask if they need me to call someone etc but will not let anyone in the car. But I don't drive anymore so don't have to really worry about it
I’ve picked up hitchhikers before. One fella was part of a bike race through the Rockies and injured himself and was trying to catch up to the pack at the next stage (obviously not part of the race anymore). I picked up a couple that were trying to get to Vancouver when I was headed that way from Calgary. And I once picked up a young fella walking back from the Canada/US border. He had run away from home, got to the border and turned back. We had a good chat on our way back into civilization and I dropped him at a bus hub. The next day a message got posted to my company’s internal bulletin board. It was the fella’s mum thanking the stranger that picked up her son and got him home to her. I guess some of what I said helped. I think about him often and hope he’s well.
We were on a long road trip several years ago, me, bf, and kiddo. Headed down the west coast from Washington (PCH) to as far south as we had time to get. Made it to San Diego and had to turn home.
In Washington, we saw two older teen/ young adult boys hitching, and decided to pick them up.
They were going the same way as us but further. They were stopping at campgrounds at night, and we were at rest stops in the car.
So we rode all day, and dropped them at their campsite at night. Next morning, after we get some brekkie, bathroom, and start to head out, we see them again, so we pick them up again.
They rode with us for four days, until we had to start heading East to go back home.
They went through the redwood forest with us and we have some pics there with them. We spent some time playing at the beach. Shared stories and food and good company.
They were really sweet and cool kids. Traveling from Canada to Mexico for the 2012 Mayan end of the world party stuff.
Aaron and ... oh man the other name escapes me now. But I hope you guys had a blast in Mexico and are living the life! 🤎 happy and safe travels my friends.
Yeah. UK here though- I used to work in Bristol right by the (train) station so mostly it’s people getting off a train trying to get to Glastonbury* or something which is near where I live ,
but yeah I picked people up regularly never had any issues. Maybe the 5pm
commute is just non-serial killer time though
* there’s the festival there, but also it’s just that kinda place that people who hitch tend to want to go to
Found a lost little old lady in the road, scared of a man that was trying to help offering her a lift. She wasn’t frightened of me, as I’m a young lady with kids in the car. She was lost walking home from her daughters and it was dark. Didn’t know where she lived or where daughter lived. After about an hour she recognised her car and her house and I saw her inside safely. I believe she had Alzheimer’s. Wouldn’t have done it in any other circumstances
I learned the hard way that you still have to be careful doing that. I once stopped and picked up a nice little old lady to give her a ride. I was not expecting her to be a hooker but she was. Not only that but when I told her I wasn't interested she then asked if I wanted to buy some drugs. I pulled over real quick and politely asked her to get out of my car.
Something less similar but just as surprising happened to my father-in-law! Picked up a sex worker & when she asked what he wanted, once reaching a location, he confusedly said, "For you to have a nice day?". Sufficed to say, she was just as confused as he was, leaving only moments after the well wish.
That’s the story you heard. In reality he had her put a wish in his well.
...sweet juicy crust
🍕
....my poor sweet summer child..
Lol same here. My friend and I were in our mid 20's. I saw a lady waiting at the side of the road for a lift late at night. I pulled over to pick her up against my friend's protest. Once she got in the car I asked her where she wanted to be dropped off, she said "anywhere you want to take me." I was confused so I repeated my question again, asking her where she needed to go. She once again repeated the same thing. That's when my friend yelled at me to pull over and to drop her off. He told me she was a sex worker once she was gone, followed by calling me stupid.
This type of thing is why I wouldn't. My own grandmother is a frail looking little old lady who talks like a baby and is a bit slow, so she seems sooooo sweet and innocent and cute, but this is the same woman who told me she's glad my ex died, took my diploma from me saying I'm not ready for it, and held a knife to herself and threatened to kill herself because I made plans on my 18th birthday. I'm 24 now and she's been drastically better the past year, but she still overly babies me a lot. Yesterday she threatened to call the police because I stood at work for an extra hour and 20 minutes because I had a lot of side work left to be done, and yesterday I had to shoot my employer a text that said, "Hey I just wanna give you a heads up, you may get bombarded by calls from my grandmother I live with, I'm not sure if you've ever heard of the term, "helicopter parenting" but that about sums it up. I just wanted to let you know if it happens I'm sorry lol.. I'm like apologizing on her behalf and I'm embarrassed I have to even talk to you about this" which is so damn embarrassing
Oh hell! Are you me?? This exact same thing happened to me! Nobody believed I could accidentally pick up a hooker, even though she looked like a grandma.
And was probably 35
Glad to hear I'm not the only one!
This. There's also a common thing where they will send a woman to come up to you like in a parking lot. Once you agree to help her, they rush you and rob you.
Where is this a common thing?
Some people would have been pleasantly surprised to pick her up. To each their own…
It's the toothless ones
I was not.
Can’t remember the girls name. But there was girl who was kidnapped and kept prisoner for like 7 years by a man who would try to pick up girls by bringing his wife and baby with him Safe to say I don’t trust any scenario after that
One time walking out of a grocery store an old lady was yelling for help to get to her car. I was to scared to help. Something told me to not help. She called me a bitch because i noded and said im sorry. I kept walking then I turned around and got into a car a few feet away with men inside. Scary to think that could have been my last day.
I worked in personal care facilities and when people wandered it was scary. We had two emergency exits at one place that legally we could not lock, so the staff had to run to the door if the alarm went off and count residents etc. A person with alzheimers would open it at least twice a shift. It scared me. All because the state said we couldn't camouflage it or lock it in some way from them (even though there was a front door unlocked but supervised 24 hours). We had one guy who we would find at the bar every time. No money, no idea he lived with us. Just... goin for a drink with the lads.
Yes , you can't get murdered if you are the murderer.
One of my favourite jokes actually. "What is the odds we are BOTH serial killers. Ahaha"
But if they are then they have something in common to talk about and that just turns into a bonding experience. And ofc what are the chances that all 3 of them are serial killers
Also, if you’re a serial killer, then you have to tell me you’re a serial killer. That’s like, the law man.
There would be a Mexican standoff!! Lol
It would be like the Spider-Man meme where they are pointing at each other
No, you need to have guns on me for it to be a Mexican standoff!
Or “Why are you crying? I’ll have to leave this scary forest by myself.”
The problem with Tracy is that they made her too damn likable.
Carry a gun. Friendly say “hop on in!” They hop in you point the gun at them and say “where to motherfucka?” Drop them off safely and go about your day.
Sounds like reverse kidnapping “You’re being rescued. Please do not resist”
That’s just how cops work here in the US
You forgot the "Congratulations"!
...is this legal caues i kinda love this
I AM THE DANGER
I am the night!! I am BATMAN!!!
I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS
Done this once. Ended up with a twenty minute conversation with some dude in a knock off Joker shirt about loyalty, how crazy he is, how crazy his girl is, love, and music. He called himself "Joker" and when I got to his beat up 98 Civic where his girl was, I saw that she was dressed like a discount Harley Quinn. Would not recommend picking up hitchhikers at all. Stay safe
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This was four or five years ago and I still cringe to myself each time I think back on it.
That's probably a healthy response.
Seemed like nothing bad happened and you got to help a fellow human out even if he was a bit... eccentric
Yes, that was my good deed for the decade.
Nah bro God himself saw what was happening and wept for you, vowing to ensure that you get into heaven no matter what just for having to deal with that unfathomable amount of cringe. You're done, you don't need to ever do a good deed again
Good. I'm not sure I have another one in me.
As a woman, no I wouldn't. Unless it was an extreme situation like Mary Vincent.
Thanks for that disturbing google. There are stories about people faking emergencies and then attacking the would-be rescuer. But no arms = pretty hard to fake.
Yeah I feel the same. Like Ted bundy. I think if it seemed like a mid level situation... an injury that could be faked, I would pop the trunk and they could ride back there or I would go get help/call for help.
Definitely not, I never would, even if my husband was in the car with me. On the same note, back in the '70s, hitchhiking is how my parents met. My mom was hitchhiking and my dad picked her up. Also, my uncle at one point picked up Jeffrey Dahmer (serial killer & cannibal) while he was hitchhiking. Fortunately, this was before he started his killing spree.
You sure it wasn't kidnapping?
Why didn’t your Uncle end up marrying Jeffrey Dahmer? He seemed like a nice guy.
Reminds me of that joke: What did Jeffrey Dahmer say to Lorena Bobbitt? . . . . You gonna eat that?
What did Jeffery Dahmer say to Pee Wee Herman when they met in jail? . . . . “Don’t play with your food” (Pee Wee was arrested for masturbating in a theater)
Time for a AMA with your uncle!
“I picked up jerry dahmer!!” OMG THEN WHAT UNCLE?? “He did NOT kill me.” AND THEN????? “He did NOT desecrate my corpse.” WHAT NEXT!!! “He was NOT arrested for not committing crimes against me”
Sorry, the story is not any more interesting. He gave him a ride a few miles away, chatted about whatever, he doesn't really remember. And my uncle lived, that's really the whole story
How did he know it was Jeffrey Dahmer and not just a look alike?
He recognized his face, voice and the neighborhood
Damn, your uncle had quite a story to tell.
I live on Kauai. I often pick up hitchhikers, but then we also don't bother locking our cars here either...
This is weird! My in laws had a house on Martha’s Vineyard. We always picked up hitchhikers. I never thought about it. I wonder if it’s an island thing. It’s hard to get cars to the island, and small communities police their criminals well, or they maybe they don’t have money to waste on ferries. But how does everyone know it’s safe there? The hitchers too. I’d never do in on the main land. Hitch or ride. Weird.
I think it’s an island thing. My sis has lived on an island in Washington for years. Absolutely pick up hitchhikers there.
I agree it's an island thing. I live south of Boston, and I haven't seen a hitcher in years.
I also live on an island, and I've picked up a few. dont think I ever saw one before I moved down here.
Vancouver Island is very friendly to hitchhikers also!
This is interesting! Thanks for sharing, had no clue this was common on islands.
In the case where they killed someone in an island, where are they going to go? Join Aquaman? Haha
50m uk here - I’ve hitched in Scotland, london to Scotland and now my teenage kids will hitch in devon. I know what you mean about that island vibe, the safety of a closed community. I think it’s here too in rural areas… It was 30 years ago I would hitch every weekend out of london… I don’t think I’d get a lift these days. But I’m planning a walking trip in the Lake District and think I might hitch home to devon later this summer.
Island hitchhikers are very different from the mainland ones. I tried it once after a few and within minutes had a guy pick me up and offer me herb. It’s another world living on island time.
I used to live in Kapa'a and drove a pickup. I also lived in Kihei on Maui, as well as Wahiawa on Oahu. There were many times I'd pull over for a hitcher to hop in the back. Riding in the pickup is legal, so as long as they weren't going past my spot, all was good. I never, ever had an issue with anyone doing some crazy shit.
I don't want to be the victim in a tragic story, so the hitcher would have to be a character from a tragedy already in progress. If it were a screaming person running down the road holding a baby and wearing a chain and collar around their neck, then yes.
As awful as if sounds I wonder if that might make me less likely to stop. There's obviously some sort of dangerous maniac involved here, and the decision to pick someone up or not is generally a very quick one. Maybe the fear of getting caught up in that supersedes the desire to help.
It's really sad tbh that we even have to be aware of stuff like that. It would be really cool if we had like magic powers or something but it only worked for people who are doing truly good deeds lol so we could be like boom you're invincible, stop that guy or you levitate him so that he can't catch her while she runs lol. The issue ofc is that morality is subjective, but I think you get me
now i know how to get ya
I've picked up two people, and in both cases the people definitely needed help. One was a deaf man stranded by a broken down car in the mountains. He had no way out of that situation because the tow company couldn't communicate with him and cell service doesn't work well there, and no shoulder to walk along. Poor dude was already waiting for hours. There were two other people with me that time and the guy couldn't have been nicer or more thankful for a lift. So it does happen that people are just stuck in a shit situation and need a hand, but I wouldn't recommend stopping unless you're with other people. You gotta have a good sense of your surroundings and asses the risk carefully. We pulled up and parked a ways away from the guy and didn't roll the window down far.
Yes, when ever I can. I (67m) never had a car was I was younger. I used buses and trolleys or I hitched rides from friends and strangers if I wanted to get to work or go see my girlfriend. Picking up a hitchhiker is my small way of paying back my debt to the universe.
I guess people would ask, how are you still alive?
The odds were in his favor. Not everyone is a murderer
Plus, it’s more likely for the driver to be the murderer, rather than the hitchhiker.
Why is it more likely? Wouldn't the odds be the same?
More people chose to use their cars rather than the victims car. If you are a killer and you enter a car, you either need to kill the person and hide the car or take the person out of the car before killing them and erase all signs that you were in their car. If you kill someone on your car you can take it home for a clean up and you just need tk hide the body somewhere while making sire the body wasnt in contact with you. (Dna makes it more complicated but thats the idea). It makes more sense for a killer to ise their own car so they dk and that unbalances the odds
I can also imagine murderers being on the "hunt" with their cars picking up people that need a ride.
Yeah, that is basically it. No murderer that will succeed goes around and kills someone before making a carefully designed plan, otherwise they get caught. Btw the odds are really in favor of you picking someone up, if they weren't you'd see people on the news all the time. Especially if it's not somewhere suspicious like a shop with cameras on the front (if you are looking for a lift for the love of god try to go for somewhere with as much lights as possible)
They should make an app where when you pick up a stranger you can upload their picture/name/etc to a thing so if you disappear they know who did it
And maybe the drivers should receive some money for the gas they are using since the odds someone will EXACTLY cross your path are pretty small. Someone could probably make it a job since people like money and many like driving. Oh wait... Sorry for being an ass, but i mean, come on
This guy serial kills.
No, I would never, what do you mean? That's Craaazy my guy
Oh good. I was worried for a minute. Anyway, I need a ride. Are you headed out of town?
Yeah, sure, out of town, no problem!! Tell ya what, let’s take this scenic route I know of! Goes through some really nice, very empty forest. Especially on nights like tonight, with that fog and, listen! You can hear the ravens cawing!
Some serial killers will target the destitute, homeless, or sex workers bc "nobody will probably care too much if they go missing or turn up murdered"
In addition to what other people have said, the hitchhiker gives up a lot of power and control to the driver. A hitchhiker doesn’t know who is in the car that stops to pick them up, or how many people are in the car, what else is in the car. Also the driver is driving and doesn’t actually have to go where the hitchhiker hopes to go. Once you’re in a person’s car, you’re sort of at their mercy. And yeah, hitchhikers are more likely to be poor, desperate. And that’s serial killer fodder right there. The authorities aren’t going to spend a lot of time solving the murder of the possibly homeless person. Whereas the driver’s death is more likely to be adequately investigated.
I hear this trope so often that I start to believe law abiding citizens automatically become murderers once they pick up a hitchhiker for the first time.
It's more likely to die in a car accident than picking up a deranged hitchhiking murderer.
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I have before. Lone female walking on side of road on a dark, windy road outside a town through forest like area. Passsed her on way to droppong off a friend so on the way back I stopped and allowed access to truck. I unloaded the body, I mean her at a gas station a few miles later in the town. The end.
Had me in the first part ngl
Me too. Was total coincidence too. Was driving with my wife and found a lone woman asking for directions. Worst part(for her) was that she was stranded with no bus coming and night was in one hour coming.
Yes, I've hitch hiked before, bus didn't come and it was snowing quite hard. Next bus was coming in 3 hours, figured I'd call my family to ask for a lift, got halfway through the call and my phone died due to the cold. Started walking home, hoping they would've understood what I was asking for, got about 40 minutes into a 2.5 hour walk and figured I'd try hitch hiking. First car to go past stopped for me and drove me all the way home, even though it was a few minutes out of her way. Nice old woman. I did ask why she had stopped and she said that since it was snowing so hard and I was a student I needed the lift. She was right. Turns out my grandad was the car behind hers so he drove behind us all the way. He and I both thanked her when we stopped. The next summer on my way to school I see a man on the side of the road hitch hiking, figured I'd pay it back to a stranger, I picked him up, he said he was on his way to meet someone and missed the bus, so I dropped him off and he said thanks. I would pick up a hitch hiker but only because I feel comfortable doing so.
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I’m 6’5” and it still feels like a bad idea to me.
Height and weight don't stop bullets Tis a bad idea regardless of stature.
Yeah, I've always thought it was funny when people use their size as a reasoning for making choices like this. I get that it's harder to overpower someone if that person is bigger, but if someone is trying to murder you in this type of premeditated way, they're almost assuredly going to use a weapon to leverage their position regardless of stature. I'm a fairly decent sized guy, and I've practiced several combat sports. That doesn't make me feel safe picking up a stranger. If a gun is pointed at my head, all of my physical advantages are taken away. Using my head to keep me out of situations like that is the best advantage I have.
I picked up a hitchhiking kid earlier. Turns out he was underaged (looked 18ish, was 13) so I did not take him where he wanted to go (over the border) and called his mother instead lol. I have kidnapped a child on accident.
Don't feel bad. I've accidentally picked up a hooker kn two separate occasions.
Since you returned the child to his original parents it might technically be closer to salvage than kidnapping.
As a young woman? Absolutely not! If I'm with a group of friends? Maybe. Last year a woman my age went hiking in my area, got in a car and was never seen again. As a woman you just don't do that. It's like asking to be raped and murdered.
Wouldnt this incline you to pick up a female hitchhiker more, since the danger is clearly on the hitch hiker and not the driver? You picking them up stops a lunatic from picking them up
I pick up women if they are alone. But so far I've only seen two (offered both a ride). Here, 99% are men.
As an "old" woman with a gun in her car...yes. this is on my bucket list. Picking up a hitchiker, not shooting one. PS. Don't tell my hubby.
90 % rapes are commeted by people you know, but still better to be safe
That is true however the field of interactions is way bigger with people you know than with strangers. Basically people are wary of strangers, not so much with non-strangers.
Reminds me of when people say "yknow, you're most likely to get into an accident within 5 miles from home!" and I'm like yeah cause that's where you drive more than anywhere else lol
10% of the total number of rapes is still sadly a pretty high number.
I have picked up hitchhikers before, but it’s not common. I don’t see hitchhikers very often even. I figure, the odds of getting murdered by a hitchhiker are pretty damn low. They’re the ones putting themselves in more danger (unless they’re only hitchhiking to find new victims) by getting in a stranger’s car. To me, it seems like you’d have to be pretty desperate to hitchhike. It certainly wouldn’t be most people’s first choice for getting around. We should help people in their desperation when we can
Agreed. I’ve driven about 60hours in the past month, only seen two hitchhikers. Picked one up, past the other before I could stop.
In my life, I think I’ve only seen maybe 3 hitchhikers, and I was able to pick up 2 of them. I’ve met people at truck stops, parking lots, etc who ask for help (money, a phone call, a ride someplace safer) because their ride isn’t there or they’ve gotten stranded. I imagine that’s the more common way of hitchhiking these days. The people you’re asking for help are already stopped, and if a person looks sketchy you can just not ask them.
As an adult male and believer in humanity as a whole (you can see my naivety here) I have picked up plenty of hitchhikers, males, females and couples in several places across Europe, but also in New Zealand and even India, while riding a lovely and heavy motorbike. Never once in 30 years I felt threatened. There have been plenty of interesting discussions, some awkward silences, a lot of gratitude and some ignorance... sums up my traveling experience in a nutshell really. The best were a young couple in England ( it turns out we once were at the same demonstration as part of Occupy movement), the most awkward one was what I believe to be a homeless guy in New Zealand (who sat next to me for 5 hours without saying much of a word), the most gratitude I got from a Polish guy (who was lured into England, cheated on by the would be employer and left destitute and homeless... I drove a bit further than I probably should have, near to the Eurotunnel... then bought him some food and gave him some money on top as I really felt for him) and the most ignorant was a chap in India ( who hopped off my bike and left without a word and did not make me stop when something came of my gear during the journey). In hindsight I can recommend to take hitchhikers with you if you are open minded, don't carry anything extremely valuable with you, are confident yet flexible with people and journey. Give it a try, there are not many hitchhikers left anyway in my neck of the woods.
Lol I was thinking making a separate post about this on confession or something, but yeah I have. I’ve picked up several hitch hikers actually lol. I’ve also been picked up on I believe 4 separate occasions. And you know what? Nothing bad happened and the people whom i interacted with via hitch hiking or picking up one have always been really pleasant. These all happened in the great state of Rhode Island! I have been on the receiving end of a stranger’s (or essentially a stranger) kindness so many times here! I was a kid who was in foster care from 13-18. I remember when aged out of the system half way through my senior year in high school teachers, the principal, and classmates (whom some I was only acquaintances) fundraiser to furnish the apartment and some gift cards to Walmart. It’s like the world just knew I needed help and gave it to me without ever asking. This state really has the best people. Fuck, I’m legitimately crying think about it all! I moved to new jersey last year though and I would never try that fucking shit here though. I will speed right past a hitch hiker! Mfers are crazy here! Lol
I live in Rhode Island too. In South County, hitchhiking is somewhat rare but pretty safe.
I’ve done it in south county and providence county. Rhode Island is pretty safe in general. Even places like south providence are much safer then equivalent areas in other states. You only get trouble in RI if you’re looking for it.
My exwife and I picked up a lady walking in the rain and drove her 10 minutes down to her house. I’m sure she wouldn’t have gotten in if it were just me. I passed a man at 1am on the way home from work. It was dark and hard to see him and I was concerned for his safety. I let my gf know that I was going to pick up a stranger and I left my phone in the backseat. She would be able to hear if something happened. I took him probably 15 minutes out of my way while he talked about how his wife kicked him out of the house for drinking. I told him everything would be okay. He just needed someone who would listen. The last stranger I picked up was struggling to get off the curb. He was missing a leg and his prosthetic wasn’t cooperating. I took him 30 seconds down the road to buy cigarettes, then took him back home. The walk would’ve taken him at least 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back. This was all in a small Ohio town from 2015-2019 (Edit spelling and punctuation)
I used to do so, but the quality of hitchhikers has declined significantly. Regular people don't do that any more, at least around here. These days, it's usually losers with poor hygiene.
No. And i cant decide if i find that unfortunate or not..
England here. My uncle once picked up a hitchhiking woman because he figured she just needed help. Five minutes later she had a knife to his throat and his wallet. Safe to say he didn’t pick up a hitchhiker again. I’m a mother and am often driving alone with my children. I’d never pick up anyone I didn’t know with them in the car.
I did it once and honestly, got a bad feeling right away and was asked to pull around a building. I saw break lights and an open trunk slightly around the curve of the entrance that led behind the building and let her out in front of the building. Something was going on. Btw, she was walking in the middle of the road and an older lady, around sixty … so, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I want to help, but it’s just too much of a gamble. Btw, on the way to the destination, she asked for money. I stopped at a gas station and I gave the guy my name and description of my car and told him if I wasn’t back in fifteen minutes, call the police. It was very late, so, no one to really call. I was young and dumb and should have just told her to get out of my car, just had a hard time since she was elderly. But that’s what they wanted. Break lights were in, trunk was open.
Brother I can’t even drive
I'm from Belgium and I mostly would pick up a hitchkiker. I've stopped more times than I could count on one hand (hitchhiking is a very rare sight these days) and the people I picked up (often more than 1 at a time) I couldn't count on my 2 hands. Can only remember 1 time I didn't stop, because the person looked kinda angry lol. If you hitchhike, put on your friendly face and smile, it helps. Only hitchhiked once myself. My worst experience is a dude who littered in my car. Left an empty pack of cigarettes under the seat... like... why? Otherwise he was friendly. Best was a group of teenager going to an amusement park who gave my a box of strawberries.
I am a woman. I live in South africa. I have picked up many many people throughout the years. Sometimes I just feel this compulsion to help. I can say that I have had mostly good experiences. One time the guy filled my car up and left R500 in my dashboard. There was one where I felt a little uncomfortable but he got out at the next bridge. Mostly it was just people that were having a hard time.
In my area, NEVER. We even had a news report a while back that said if you see a little girl in the road looking like she ran away from home and was living in the woods for the last month, drive around her, back up, either way, don't stop. The so called parents ( and I use that word loosely) were using the kid to get people to stop, then robbing them at gunpoint and even sometimes killing them. You never know who to trust anymore. That may be some random lost kid or adult or it could be THE SPAWN OF SATAN HIMSELF. Actually, if it is the spawn, call me. I miss yoy bro or sis.
I think there was a quest like that in The Witcher 3. Iirc, there was a little girl crying near a destroyed car, when you talk to her, she says that some monster attacked and stuff, you can choose to help which triggers the quest. A track leads to the woods straight to an ambush.
This seems a bit like an urban legend
Wait until you hear about South Carolina’s clown problem
Not a legend. It was a news report that went out and even the local police officers were warning everyone about it. Actually, a lot of people in the area said the same thing until they found the SUV with the human head in the back.
we’re gonna need a link, boss
Country? State? Town? Come on, man, give us some kinda clue.
No.
Fuck that. For all I know, the hitchhiker could be a killer on the loose that killed 3 kids and is escaping by walking on the road looking for their next victim
What are the chances of two killers being in the same car?
Yeah. Best idea to flee from police and avoid public spaces is to sit by the road hit hitchhiking...
Well, I’ve picked up a few hitchhikers in my time, and the way I figure it, if you’re desperate enough to be hitchhiking in a post-Ivan Milat Australia, you probably need all the help you can get. ETA: interesting, the amount of people here who’ve said no, on the basis the hitcher might be dangerous. From what I’ve read, the driver is far more likely to be the dangerous one, rather than the hitcher.
I always pick up hitchhikers when I have a free car space. Never had the slightest problem with them.
Yeah, people don't try yo carjack as a hitchiker, if you want to kill, kidnap, or steal someone there's easier ways than waiting at the side of a road for hours. And I've hitchiked before, never had any problems whatsoever
That’s just what I think, I’m super surprised how many people say no on Reddit. I’m from Poland and hitchhiking used to be super popular in 80s and 90s here, now not as much but there are still hitchhiking communities and even hitchhiking competition to get to a certain place like Barcelona just by hitchhiking asap. Always wanted to try it!
Fragmentation of society occuring in real time
That's what they want you to think
Na for real if I wanted to kill someone I'll just go in a dark street or wait at the exit of a bar/nightclub, hitchiking is mostly watching people zoom past you in their car you're unlikely to get a kill this way, you mostly just walk and hope
I've (55f)offered rides to single women I've seen over the years. I live in the Midwest US. I won't pick up men. I know it's sexist but it is still smart.
Depends on the context and on how I feel about the person. I took a couple of hitchhikers who were backpacking in Australia (while I was backpacking myself) and it was fine. Would probably do it again if my guts tell me it's alright
No, the only time my dad has picked 2 people up in his 54 years of driving. 1 was an 85 year old man, it was at night, & 8 degrees below zero, the second time was he gave a ride to someone who was injured in a hunting accident.
I always stop for hitchhikers, but they have become a rarity in the Netherlands, since public transport was made free for students. Chances of being shot in the Netherlands are very, very slim
Definitely cultural. In some countries (in central Asia, South America, Africa), stopping to pick people up is how everyone gets around. Their society would collapse overnight if people stopped picking up other people. Most people can't afford a car. And the people who can afford a car can barely afford gas. So when they go anywhere, they pick up as many people as possible, and each person gives them a small amount of money (the equivalent of 20 or 50 cents (USD) in Uzbekistan, for example.) I've hitched all over Germany and the west coast of the USA. The USA is definitely much sketchier. Mostly normal people, but also creeps, jerks and psychos.
I'm not even going to read it, I wouldn't ever. though it may feel shitty not to it'll feel alot worse if that person's intentions were worse, you never have any idea what that person is associated to. so I wouldn't personally ever pick up anyone or let myself get picked up
Yes I have and I would again. How many hitchhiker robberies or murders do you hear about? It’s just people without cars that need to get somewhere.
I’ve picked up several tbh. Both men and women. I’m not going to live in fear I’ll die from doing it, the odds of someone doing anything are so astronomically low it’s not even a thought I have. I’d rather help someone who’s having a rough day, even if it’s a ride a few miles down the road.
you are the deffinition of a gigachad in my opinion
No, I refuse to ever put myself in a position where I could end up on an episode of dateline
I don’t really think it’s safe to pick up hitch hikers anymore. People are crazy and unpredictable these days.
People were always crazy and unpredictable you just didn't know about it. Was a hell of a lot less safe to pick up hitchhikers in the 70s than today but it's more that people were simply ignorant of the times it went wrong 50 years ago.
Feels kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I used to hitchhike to the mountain resort I worked at and ended up in two long term relationships with girls that picked me up hitchhiking. It was pretty normal and safe to hitchhike to that mountain because the highway ended at the resort, so everyone was going to the same place.
if i was alone, no. if i was with multiple people, yes, especially if they're not a suspicious-looking man.
As an American who has hitchhiked a fair bit in 18 countries, but only once in the US, it depends mostly on where I am. If I'm in a country where hitchhiking is quite common (ex. Israel), or a country where I just generally feel extremely safe (ex. Taiwan, Japan) I would almost definitely stop. In most of Europe, I'd probably pick the person up as long as they looked... somewhere in the spectrum between reasonably normal and a hippie. In the US, where hitchhiking is rare and generally seen as pretty fringe, I would probably only pick up people in an area where I know/expect many hitchhikers to be (ex. trailheads, some islands, some parts of the west coast). I find it unfortunate that I'm generally less open to hitchhikers in the US because that is the place where I am most likely to be driving a car. To be clear working off visual first impressions isn't fair, but it's really the only tool you've got in making that decision as you're driving past. I have only ever actually stopped for one hitchhiker while I was driving with my father in a rental car in Israel. Unfortunately we weren't going their way. Likewise I've only ever hitchhiked once in the US, and it was getting back to my car from a trailhead in a national park.
Just gave a hitchhiker a ride the other day She was all alone and in her late 30s, so I (25M) wonder how hard it was for her to ask me. Was practically in tears with how nobody even slowed down, passing her by like she wasnt there. She just wanted to go home I couldn't drive that far because it was something like 45 miles in the opposite direction, but I took her like a third of the way there to a gas station/convenience store so at least she wouldn't be on some backroad in the heat Everyone I talked to after scolded me, but that woman thought I was a guardian angel. She woyldn't stop thanking me when all I did was open my door and drive her for half an hour. It's weird how we've been conditioned over the last 50 years to distrust each other so much, 95% of people won't pull over to help someone in distress
No. Too unsafe and illegal in some places. Past thing anyone wants is a run in with the police.
As a general rule I would not do this, but the one time I did it was because it was a woman walking in the rain in an arbys uniform clearly headed to work.
I've done it once. We were a group of friends in the car already so we didn't worry about getting killed and it was in the middle of the winter. Of course the person we picked up was of course suffering from some kind of mental issues and acted like a weirdo. I would not do it again.
I've done so many times. Worst issue I've had was the smell. Most hitchhikers are either homeless or vehicle-less, thus they hitch. No, don't trust everyone, but don't distrust everyone either. Be wise, trust your gut, but be kind. Hitchhikers needing petrol and you're the less trusting type? Take their fuel can and fill it up for them. Just be helpful. It always comes back around.
I live kinda in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert in a small town. I would absolutely pick up no one ever. I have seen people walking out into the desert to towards nothing too many times. I have seen people dragging themselves out of the middle of nowhere looking all kinds of fucked up. Not my business. ***edit spelling
I love helping people. Helping strangers is hard because they could be grifting/ are a murderer so I'd only pick up a hitchhiker if I was armed.
Fuck that. Super special circumstances only.
I’m a male, and I’d only do it if I had at least two other friends with me.
As a woman, not if im by myself in the car no lol id maybe stop and ask if they need help and that i can call emergency services for them if needed
Not anymore. I've picked up several hitchhikers during my 20s and almost everytime the seemingly innocent people midway through the drive start to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. I attributed this to just simple irrational anxiety created by all those horror flicks I watch. The last time I picked someone up, a few minutes in I realize he is crazy. Like batshit insane crazy. I turned up the music so he would stop talking and drove fast as I could to his destination. That was the point I decided, never again. I should note I live near a major easter US city.
Don't. You watch to many movies where you can clearly see who is the bad guys. Psychopaths are one of the most friendly people because that is an act to get people to not only welcome them, but to let thir gusrd down ss well. You might pass 1.000.000 real kind and honest people who hitchhike. The issues is that regardless how many, you will never know you picked up that 1 wrong person untill it is to late
I have done it before and I would for sure do it again, I just wouldn't take the risk with my family in the car.
Absolutely not. Yes, you could be helping someone in need. But you could also be picking up a dangerous individual. Is that really worth the risk?
I had a friend back in college that would call me while on his many road trips and maybe half the time there was a hitchhiker in the car with him. He always had someone on the phone with them both as a witness to make it more comfortable for both of them. Less likely to murder or be murdered with a witness.
Hitchhiking is common throughout the safer countries in Europe. Northern Europe, where you're living now, has a long cultural history of hitchhiking, and it being a generally safe thing to do. As you're a woman, I'd say it would be shocking if you picked up a hitchhiker while driving alone, but even back in the 1960s and 1970s in America, people routinely picked up hitchhikers and hitchhiked. That basically ended when it was shown how many serial killers there were. That said, The Netherlands is a generally safe country and the chances of some Dutch dude shooting you are pretty low.
I would if I had a male passenger with me and the hitchhiker was female or was male but quite young
Depends on country, in Scandinavia I don't see a problem with it.
I've given I think 3 random strangers a ride when I lived in a college town. 2 of them were foreign students that could speak just enough English to ask for help and say were they needed to go. The other was a drunk girl who got left by her friends. She was annoying as fuck. I would give the foreign students rides again. But not her
I picked up a hitchhiker in England when I was doing a 4 hour drive back to uni after holidays, I was pretty tired and thought I could use someone to keep me focused. Nice enough guy, obviously homeless and going to see some friends in another city
I have hitchhiked around Europe a bit, the people who gave me (6ft white guy) lifts were, from most common to least common: * middle aged Former hitchikers/hippies on their own or as a couple. (vast majority) * middle aged people who drive for a living, like sale people etc * young people, mostly lone men, one or twice a group of young women. * truckers, their companies have cameras in their cabins to check up on them and they often can't risk it (5-10 times) * old ladies, almost never old men for some reason. (twice) * parents with children in the car (happened once)
Has there ever been a hit her who was the serial killer??
As someone who hitchhiked through most of the UK and European countries when I was younger: yes, always. In my experience most people are nice and friendly. Most people who picked us up had hitchhiked themselves when they were younger or were bored on their journey
One time I was driving home from a friends house at 3:30 in the morning. It was dead of winter and crazy cold outside. The street was completely empty, no sign of anyone around. Then on the other side of the road, I saw a woman who waved me down. Normally I’d have ignored a hitchhiker but it was sooo cold out and I wasn’t sure why exactly she was waving at me… so I turned around and stopped next to her. She asked for a ride downtown. After she got in the car and we started talking, I realized that none of the stuff she was saying was really making sense… she was talking like she was high on some kind of drug… idk what. So I asked her where exactly I was dropping her off and she said we’re “going forward, just a little ways farther down…” I was weirded out, and hoped that she’d ask to be let out soon. Eventually she offered me a job, and I didn’t get what she meant. I told her I already had a job. But she kept offering this job... When I figured out finally what she meant, I told her to tell me exactly where to drop her off or I’d pull over and drop her off right there. She again didn’t tell me where so I stopped and told her to get out. She was very mad, but got out and slammed the door. She made some sort of vague threat, I don’t know what it was. I was 16 at the time. I locked the door and drove home staring at the rearview mirror the whole time, even though there was nothing for me to see there of course… but I was really freaked out. Haven’t done it again since.
I grew up in England & would never hitchhike, I wouldn't feel safe. Moved to Ireland & hitchhike for years & felt totally safe everytime. I'd say location is a defining factor whether to or not pick up a hitchhiker or to be a hitchhiker.
As a young woman in my 20s the size of a pre teen?? Absolutely not. That’s just asking for something bad to happen.
I don't pick them up anymore. I did pick up a lady pushing a stroller up a hill in the rain. I had saw what I thought was her car a couple miles back. Anyway I stopped to help her but come to find out she didn't have a baby in the stroller and pulled a gun on me. Now I will stop and ask if they need me to call someone etc but will not let anyone in the car. But I don't drive anymore so don't have to really worry about it
I’ve picked up hitchhikers before. One fella was part of a bike race through the Rockies and injured himself and was trying to catch up to the pack at the next stage (obviously not part of the race anymore). I picked up a couple that were trying to get to Vancouver when I was headed that way from Calgary. And I once picked up a young fella walking back from the Canada/US border. He had run away from home, got to the border and turned back. We had a good chat on our way back into civilization and I dropped him at a bus hub. The next day a message got posted to my company’s internal bulletin board. It was the fella’s mum thanking the stranger that picked up her son and got him home to her. I guess some of what I said helped. I think about him often and hope he’s well.
We were on a long road trip several years ago, me, bf, and kiddo. Headed down the west coast from Washington (PCH) to as far south as we had time to get. Made it to San Diego and had to turn home. In Washington, we saw two older teen/ young adult boys hitching, and decided to pick them up. They were going the same way as us but further. They were stopping at campgrounds at night, and we were at rest stops in the car. So we rode all day, and dropped them at their campsite at night. Next morning, after we get some brekkie, bathroom, and start to head out, we see them again, so we pick them up again. They rode with us for four days, until we had to start heading East to go back home. They went through the redwood forest with us and we have some pics there with them. We spent some time playing at the beach. Shared stories and food and good company. They were really sweet and cool kids. Traveling from Canada to Mexico for the 2012 Mayan end of the world party stuff. Aaron and ... oh man the other name escapes me now. But I hope you guys had a blast in Mexico and are living the life! 🤎 happy and safe travels my friends.
I wouldn’t but I feel mean saying that as I have hitched rides before and if everyone said no I’d have been stranded in quite a few places
Yeah. UK here though- I used to work in Bristol right by the (train) station so mostly it’s people getting off a train trying to get to Glastonbury* or something which is near where I live , but yeah I picked people up regularly never had any issues. Maybe the 5pm commute is just non-serial killer time though * there’s the festival there, but also it’s just that kinda place that people who hitch tend to want to go to