To pick up hitchhikers... or not to pick up hitchhikers...

[allergic-to-society]

Now that is the question....

Nowadays, it's quite rare to spot a nomad on the side of the road, thumb erect, arm out straight, silently seeking a hitch. But when I do, I cant help but wonder if he's a present day Chris McCandless, or just some fellow patron without a car trying to spot a ride to a destination not far away.
I realize if I was ever tramping around... I would most definitely want or need to hitchhike places... And would become vastly frustrated waiting hours in, in some cases, cruddy weather conditions, for someone to pull over and offer me a ride. But you know there are a wide range of horror stories related to hitchhikers. Whether your the one pulling over... or the one hopping in. I think that's what scares me the most. Not knowing what your about to get your self into, who this person is, where they come from, what their hiding. We don't know. And in the back of our heads... We imagine the worst case scenario. But we pick them up anyways. Are we taking chances, purposely ignoring our thoughts, or just not afraid?
I couldn't tell you if next time I see a drifter asking for a ride, I'll pull over and invite him in. But I will think twice about who this character is. For all I know... he could be the most extraordinary person I will ever meet. Or he could just be a serial killer about to plan his next attack.
I don't really know where I was going with this. But what do you guys think? Do you Pick up strays or just leave them be on the side of the road?
Do tell, I'm curious.

[bones]

The problem is you have to make a judgment of that person very quickly.... unless you don't mind staring at them for little bit and thinking about who they are. I don't drive, but I would be very careful about picking up someone if I did. It seems like it might be more dangerous for the person giving the ride, I think if some crazy guy wanted to kill someone, he would be more likely to try hitchhiking himself to find a victim than cruising around looking for a hitchhiker. But most hitchhikers I've seen were young and looked like normal hippy type kids, so I think as long as you just pick up those type of people you should be ok. Probably the worst thing that could happen is they smell bad...

[TyCanada]

I agree with Bones. The hitchhiker is always afraid of the unknown too even though they are thumbing a ride. It sorta goes both ways for the driver and the hitcher. The driver sees the hitchhiker and thinks maybe it is a bad idea, I mean the media says so and he could be a serial killer. Why would a serial killer thumb a ride? Charles Manson is long over, so don't bring him up. I would pick a hitchhiker up if he had a sign that says where he is going and a backpack which shows he is traveling. If it were a single person with nothing, then I would wonder. People are afraid of the UNKNOWN!