omon according to 190 i go fly enter range rover sport or 2010 toyota avalon

NEVER NEVER NEVER GET INTO A CAR WITH A STRANGER. THOUSANDS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN WORLWIDE DO THIS AND END UP GETTING RAP/ED OR BEATEN. MANY ARE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN!

agathamari:

NEVER NEVER NEVER GET INTO A CAR WITH A STRANGER. THOUSANDS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN WORLWIDE DO THIS AND END UP GETTING RAP/ED OR BEATEN. MANY ARE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN!

If you were stranded in a dark alley, with no means of calling a friend for assistance. . .depending on where you are, you will get molested! If you accepted help by way of a lift back to civilization, you may get molested. I guess it all boils down to what presents the most danger at the time.

All the ones who've accepted lifts, probably lived in areas with a small community or small population OR they don't read the news, they don't know about psychopaths and the real threat behind them OR know about how popular stalking is these days,

PREVENTION is never to be underestimated, no point knowing you are good at getting yourself out of most tricky situations, it's better to know that you're good at not getting yourself into one.

In some areas in America, hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers is illegal. I can understand why. .

Siena:

If you were stranded in a dark alley, with no means of calling a friend for assistance. . .depending on where you are, you will get molested! If you accepted help by way of a lift back to civilization, you may get molested. I guess it all boils down to what presents the most danger at the time.

That's assuming that 100% of people who accept lifts are in fact "straned in a dark alley, with no means of calling a friend for assistance". . which they are not.

I know there is advice on this, I think there are reports advicing people in these situations to go for elderly people, or women for lifts, but these people are usually more afraid of the hitch hiker than you are of them, nowadays, it's really strange to see a hitchhiker, but that's just where I live I guess. .

topup:

That's assuming that 100% of people who accept lifts are in fact "straned in a dark alley, with no means of calling a friend for assistance". . which they are not.

We're not merely making assumptions here. . .anyone could be stranded at any given time, no one plans to though. We live in a world of hypothesis. . .

topup:

All the ones who've accepted lifts, probably lived in areas with a small community or small population

A small population does not guarantee safety, in a situation where one may be stranded. As I stated earlier, the chances of one being molested if stranded in a lonely place at night are greater, than if they accepted a lift from a stranger.

topup:

OR they don't read the news

Makes no difference - the news is full of things we wouldn't like, but it doesn't always prepare one for the unexpected, or tell the whole story from a different perspective. Can you hand on heart tell me you do everything the news expects you to?

topup:

they don't know about psychopaths and the real threat behind them OR know about how popular stalking is these days,

I don't get your reference to stalkers here - stalkers are everywhere, you're actually most likely to be stalked by a work colleague, someone from your church, or someone else from your circle of friends, though the stalker may not be a direct friend of yours. Why would a stalker be waiting at a lonely spot, for you to break down, and get stranded?

topup:

I know there is advice on this, I think there are reports advicing people in these situations to go for elderly people, or women for lifts, but these people are usually more afraid of the hitch hiker than you are of them,

These reports are put together by people like you and me, they are not set in stone, and there are several variables, that are not taken into account. In certain areas, you may not find elderly drivers to solicit help from, and as you said, they're more likely to be too frightened to stop - they may even run you over in their haste to get away! Besides, not all elderly people are decent - the idea here is to use your head, and make a snap decision, stay stranded, walk perhaps 10 miles to civilization (more dangers along the way) or take your chances, and accept help once it's offered.

topup:

All the ones who've accepted lifts, probably lived in areas with a small community or small population OR they don't read the news, they don't know about psychopaths and the real threat behind them OR know about how popular stalking is these days,

PREVENTION is never to be underestimated, no point knowing you are good at getting yourself out of most tricky situations, it's better to know that you're good at not getting yourself into one.

Prevention is good, yes. But there are situations one has no control over. And these situations are the reason the word "accident" exists in dictionaries. Who makes plans to have an accident?

topup:

nowadays, it's really strange to see a hitchhiker, but that's just where I live I guess. .

You're getting things mixed up - a hitchhiker is often one that thumbs a ride, because that's what they intended, to get to their destination with minimal, or no cost to themselves. That's "travelling on the thumb", very different from trying to get assistance due to being stranded through unavoidable circumstances.

topup:

In some areas in America, hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers is illegal. I can understand why. .

In some areas in Britain and other parts of the world, hitchhiking is also illegal - but this thread isn't about hitchhikers. It's about being stranded in a place through no fault of your own. A hitchhiker usually has a choice, a stranded person usually doesn't. Regardless of where you live, people will ALWAYS get stranded, and require assistance, either via a cellphone if they have one, and it can lock onto a valid GPS signal, or in the form of assistance from a stranger.

^^^^^ hitchhiking means getting a ride from a stranger. it doesnt matter if your car ran out of gas and are getting a lift to the gas station or traveling cross country "by thumb"

Agatha, I'm aware of what a hitch hiker is. This thread however, is about being stranded, and having no choice. Not about the actions of a pre-meditated thumb traveller.

Hav u ever had enof money on u bt u ar stranded? It s a case of circumstance.