I can remember the days when you would see people looking to hitch a ride pretty much everyday. Rarely do you see it now. I would occasionally give someone a lift and even thumbed a ride or two myself. My father would thumb a ride to work or college many times so that my mom could have the car to run errands during the day. Safety concerns have pretty much done away with the days of hitchin' a ride. Has anyone ever thumbed a ride or do you remember when it was an everyday occurrence?

 

Speaking of hitching a ride, one of my favorite 70's groups- BOSTON :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilveF7zRsnc&feature=player_detailpage

Safety concerns have pretty much done away with the days of hitchin' a ride.

 

It could probably be argued that fear of safety concerns have done away with hitchhiking. I'd say statistically, it probably isn't any more dangerous now that it ever was. But if one person was kidnapped while hitchhiking, every news channel would talk about for an eternity.

Used to be a common thing. Can't trust anyone at all these days. I wouldn't pick up anyone I didn't know in today's world.

This thread instatly made me think of:

 

Hitchin' a ride, hitchin' a ride

Gotta get me home to my baby's side

Ride, ride, ride, hitchin' a ride

Ride, ride, ride, hitchin' a ride

 

Yeah, I know, I'm old...

Never done it; never will. Absolutely would never pick anyone up off the side of the road. I saw The Hitcher.

Maybe the decline is due to more options available....mass transit, buses, uber, borrowing the parents car, etc.

Never done it; never will. Absolutely would never pick anyone up off the side of the road. I saw The Hitcher.

 

Never done it; never will. Absolutely would never pick anyone up off the side of the road. I saw The Hitcher.

 

That movie probably discouraged many, many from ever thinking about picking up someone.

Small town sixties, knew everyone, never had a doubt about picking up someone. Now no way. Never saw " The Hitcher".

Actually, statistics suggest that the perceived danger is FAR worse than the actual danger:

 

Chance of being killed or raped while hitchhiking:

 

Chance of dying from an accidental fall: 0.94%

Maybe the decline is due to more options available....mass transit, buses, uber, borrowing the parents car, etc.

 

I think it's because there's an increased threat of having your throat slit.

Chance of dying from falling while trying to run away from a rapist when hitchhiking: <.00000008>

I think it's because there's an increased threat of having your throat slit.

 

The PERCEIVED increased threat of having your throat slit. It was likely just as dangerous in the "good old days," meaning not very dangerous at all. We perceive a lot of danger when, in actuality, there is very little. The statistics bear it out.

The PERCEIVED increased threat of having your throat slit. It was likely just as dangerous in the "good old days," meaning not very dangerous at all. We perceive a lot of danger when, in actuality, there is very little. The statistics bear it out.

 

Truth. Seeing it in the local weekly paper didn't grab as many eyelids as hearing about it on one of the ten thousand 24-hour news channels or on social media. The more people see/hear/read something, there more likely they are to think it will happen to them. As you said, statistics don't back that up.

I picked up a hitchhiker only once, about 25 years ago on the way to a poker game, she was quite the "looker" and I got to the poker game 2 hours later........the "G"-rated rest of the story, it was a fun ride.