There is a common misconception in the United States and other parts of the world that hitchhiking is extremely risky.
Loving parents and well-meaning teachers have probably told you that picking up hitchhikers is dangerous and being one yourself is a one-way ticket to certain death. Everyone has heard a story about some nameless hitchhiker that was picked up, beaten (or worse), and left for dead on the side of the road.
I'm here to tell you that with a lot of common sense and a little bit of street smarts, hitchhiking is far safer than you ever imagined, even for the fairer sex.
Sure, there are some inherent dangers involved in hitchhiking but most of those dangers have very little to do with hitchhiking itself.
Anytime you get in a car you are engaging in an inherently risky behavior. Traffic accidents are a common occurrence on the road and around 35,000 fatal accidents occur each year in the United States alone1.
Every single time you get behind the wheel you are taking a risk – and yet you’ve probably never thought of it that way.
You’ve probably always thought of driving as a great way to get from Point A to Point B and that is indeed what it is.
Hitchhiking only increases the dangers associated with driving a tiny amount and that tiny amount of increased risk is probably worth it when you consider all of the adventures you could be having!
While actual statistics for hitchhiking safety are difficult to pin down, some general data about highway safety can go a long way towards showing just how safe hitchhiking can be.
In the 30-years between 1979 and 2009, there was an estimated 675 murders and sexual assaults along interstate highways in the United States. With the interstate highway system accommodating approximately 24% of the nation’s travel, it can be assumed that an estimated 2,700 of these types of crimes occurred across all roadways in the U.S.
When you consider that the population in the United States during that period of time was 303,366,367, it can be estimated that you have a 0.0000089% chance of being murdered or raped which hitchhiking in the United States. In other words, your chances of making it through a hitchhiking trip without being murdered or raped are pretty darn good.2
Still not convinced that hitchhiking is safe? Consider this: You are nearly three times more likely to be killed in a regular garden variety car accident that you are to be murdered when hitchhiking and you are far more likely to meet your demise by falling or accidentally shooting yourself with a gun.
To put it simply, hitchhiking has its inherent risks but so does pretty much everything we do in life. And probably the most damaging thing we can do to ourselves is live a boring, uninspired life that lacks adventure – so go live it up!
