SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Have you/would you ever pick up a hitchhiker?

Posted: Jan 25 2010 03:16 pm

Saw one on my way to work today. He looked normal enough, and I wasn't traveling through a particularly dangerous area or anything, but there is still no way in hell I would ever pick up a stranger on the road (one exception....I once picked up an 80-ish year old woman at a bus stop when it was about 20 degrees out, and gave her a ride into town).

My reasons are as follows:

1. Obviously, the person could be fucking crazy as in Something About Mary

2. I'm not a talker by nature, and I'd have no desire to be stuck in a car with someone I don't know

I'm just curious if anyone here has ever picked one up, how it went down, and if you'd ever do it again.

(I should also note that if someone was urgently flagging me down I'd stop to see if it was an emergency, but if he's just standing there with his thumb out, no way).

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Jan 25 2010 03:21 pm

I picked one up one time. It was at a rest area along the PCH south of Santa Cruz. He was a hiker and heading back from the California woods. It made the trip a lot shorter, and he bought me some lunch, so hey, it worked.

You can usually tell the decent people from the real psychos just by talking to them for a few minutes. I'd never pull over and pick someone up who was just on the side of the road hitching a ride.

I actually call the police on people hitching on the freeway. Fuck those idiots.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 03:23 pm

Here in BC it's illegal to pick up and to hitchhike. However, I've hitchhiked in the motherland, and would probably pick up a stranger there.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 03:35 pm

These are the pros and cons of hitchhiking.

Joined: Oct 01 2009 Posts: 5316

Nope, but I've seen a couple people before in town who literally wait at traffic lights and beg for help by knocking on people's window's for either money or a ride. Good thing I had my mace ready, that bitch was crazy.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 04:08 pm

UsaSatsui wrote:

I picked one up one time. It was at a rest area along the PCH south of Santa Cruz. He was a hiker and heading back from the California woods. It made the trip a lot shorter, and he bought me some lunch, so hey, it worked.

You can usually tell the decent people from the real psychos just by talking to them for a few minutes. I'd never pull over and pick someone up who was just on the side of the road hitching a ride.

I actually call the police on people hitching on the freeway. Fuck those idiots.

That's cool, sounds like a best-case scenario. I do think I could tell a normal person from a crazy bastard, but I'd still have my reservations due to my not wanting to have to sit and talk to a stranger. I guess that depends on your personality though.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 04:08 pm

Hell no, I have no desire to wind up dismembered and tossed in to dumpsters.

Joined: Oct 19 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1479

When I was in high school I got held at knife point by someone who demanded I give him a ride across town. I figured that if he was already pulling out weapons, there was no way that I was going to get in the car with him. We talked about it for about fifteen minutes (it felt like fucking five hours) and I eventually talked him down. By this point it had started to rain, so I reached offered him an umbrella that I keep in my trunk. He took it, then I got in my car and called the police. I told them to look for a man with green and white umbrella walking south down Tarleton Avenue and felt like a genius.

On the other hand, I have personally hitchhiked before, and that's when you have to be very careful. If you want to hitchhike, be prepared to turn people down if you suspect anything at all.

Joined: Nov 11 2009 Location: Cajun Country Posts: 1511

Damn, riveting tale chap!

Posted: Jan 25 2010 06:36 pm

LeshLush wrote:

When I was in high school I got held at knife point by someone who demanded I give him a ride across town. I figured that if he was already pulling out weapons, there was no way that I was going to get in the car with him. We talked about it for about fifteen minutes (it felt like fucking five hours) and I eventually talked him down. By this point it had started to rain, so I reached offered him an umbrella that I keep in my trunk. He took it, then I got in my car and called the police. I told them to look for a man with green and white umbrella walking south down Tarleton Avenue and felt like a genius.

On the other hand, I have personally hitchhiked before, and that's when you have to be very careful. If you want to hitchhike, be prepared to turn people down if you suspect anything at all.

Ha ha, good call on giving him the umbrella to make him more identifiable. Laughing

Posted: Jan 25 2010 07:03 pm

I'd never pick up a hitchhiker from the side of the road. Probably not at a rest stop either, no matter how normal they seem--some of these guys are just brilliant at disguising their intentions. And if that makes me sound like a paranoid asshole...well...I am. Very Happy

I'm not entirely heartless though. I have stopped during the day on a well-traveled street for a family having car trouble. I called AAA for them and all that. They were grateful I stopped.

Title: Hugh Joined: Sep 23 2007 Posts: 1591

I'd find it very strange if we ever had car trouble and people didn't stop to help. About a month ago we got stuck in the snow and within ten minutes four people'd stopped to help out. Guess I'm just lucky.

As for hitchhiking, I can't drive, but I wouldn't have any problems with whoever was driving stopping to pick someone up. I've been on the hitcher's end too many times to be paranoid about it. Most of the people out hitching rides are perfectly nice, normal people. I don't know, I definitely think it wouldn't be near as obvious a choice if I were a girl though. I don't think it'd be safe to be on either end as a girl, really.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 07:14 pm

^ That's pretty much where I'm at. I really, really hate playing the gender card because I feel like I'm pretty smart and can take care of (and defend) myself as well as anyone. But...I'm also a realist. And I just don't like the odds females have on either side. Stupid, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I'd rather not ever be put in a position I have to put that confidence in my ability to defend myself to the test.

ESPECIALLY in a car. I can't think of a much worse space to be in with someone trying to hurt you. Ugh.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 07:16 pm

^^holy crap I never realized SH was a girl Shocked

Joined: Nov 11 2009 Location: Cajun Country Posts: 1511

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

^^holy crap I never realized SH was a girl Shocked

Seriously? Shocked

Posted: Jan 25 2010 08:52 pm

I gave an old guy and his wife a lift once, they were carrying a bunch of groceries and looked like they needed help.

Posted: Jan 25 2010 11:21 pm

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

^^holy crap I never realized SH was a girl Shocked

All in all, you're just another brick in the wall.

http://history.sydlexia.com/index.php?title=SoldierHawk#Gender

Posted: Jan 26 2010 12:03 am

SoldierHawk wrote:

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

^^holy crap I never realized SH was a girl Shocked

http://history.sydlexia.com/index.php?title=SoldierHawk#Gender

Well I'll be damned Embarrassed

I need to spend more time on these boards. Actually never been to Sydopedia before.....gonna try to set up my own page now.

Posted: Jan 26 2010 07:52 pm

Haha that was funny Hawk, and when I read where you were born, I thought it said Hot Food haha

Val, I thought in BC it was only illegal to pickup on the freeway, because you're not allowed to stop. I dunno, I've hitchhiked before though, but only with friends.

2010 SLF Tag Champ Joined: Jun 07 2006 Posts: 12294

i pick up hitchhikers all the time, and I try to have the strangest conversations with them that I possibly can. sometimes they get so weirded out that they ask me to drop them off after a few minutes.

Posted: Jan 27 2010 02:01 pm

Ross Rifle wrote:

Val, I thought in BC it was only illegal to pickup on the freeway, because you're not allowed to stop. I dunno, I've hitchhiked before though, but only with friends.

Maybe. I just see the signs that say 'No Hitchhiking. Pickup is Illegal'.

Posted: Jan 27 2010 04:55 pm

FNJ wrote:

i pick up hitchhikers all the time, and I try to have the strangest conversations with them that I possibly can. sometimes they get so weirded out that they ask me to drop them off after a few minutes.

Examples?

Posted: Jan 27 2010 04:57 pm

Blackout wrote:

FNJ wrote:

i pick up hitchhikers all the time, and I try to have the strangest conversations with them that I possibly can. sometimes they get so weirded out that they ask me to drop them off after a few minutes.

Examples?

'can you identify a genital wart?'

'if i pee green, but it doesnt burn, am i ok?'

2010 SLF Tag Champ Joined: Jun 07 2006 Posts: 12294

once I acted like I really believed in the existence of aliens. another time I insisted that someone was following me, and started making plans and told the hitchiker that if tehy wanted to survive tehy'd have to do exactly as I told them.