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You do remember the mass shooting in NZ .. There are crazies all over the globe. Id consider being much safer in your own back yard with 911 at your disposal..

 

I really hope you do! It's a great country and also I could meet ya here : )

I researched statistics about it.
Obviously there are risks, but statistically it's safer to hitch in the US than people think. I don't feel like debating with people over it.. But it does strike me as odd how fearful people are about this activity.

Yeah, but that was one crazy case.. I'm general NZ does feel safer.. It's a small place with low population. The shooter in that instance not a kiwi. Obviously things can happen here, and have happened here.. But even just that hitch hiking is considered normal and many people do it demonstrate the difference.

Although then again, I don't think it's because it's so much safer, as that The Fear hasn't infected this place so much.

 

Hitchhiking Statistics

 

Also in today's world there could easily be an app where hitches photoed the license plate of every car they got into.. Or something.

I'm feeling more and more that I want to hitch hike in the states now. The people most afraid of certain things are most often the people who've never done those things.

 

Dont know if those stats are really honest though.
Because the rate should be determined by the number of people who actually hitchhike, not by the total number of people in the US. You cant use people who have never hitchhiked to determine how dangerous it is.
Hitchhiking isnt particularly common here in the US so for all we know the rate of murder and rape among those who actually do it could be high. Or maybe not.

I dont want to debate it either though really, I just know its something I personally wouldnt feel comfortable doing here.

 

Strangely Ive never thought of Roger Waters Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking story to have taken place in the California. I imagined it in NZ for some oddness.

 

Yeah my mind was trying not to focus on this : )

There's a girl on youtube who travels all over the world on her own, like all the - istan places.. On a motorbike or something. Instantly I got that feeling of "oh I wouldn't feel safe doing that" .And I probably wouldn't do it. But I am aware that it's exactly what I say.. The fear is my imagination. She's proof it can be fun and safe. Well, as safe as anything. Life is a giant risk.

 

So friggin' cute! Yikes!

 

Today
Saint Patty's Day
10:10am
Some Tom's and the Harem

It could be way worse....... all black cats crossing my path.

 

If it boils down to it, I'm ready to take game animals in a poaching manner..

 

A meta picture on top of a fire tower somewhere.

 

Is that you You? (Ha!) Nice pic!

 

I was going to ask the same.
You/They have gorgeous hair.
And legs.

 

Can we say... swedish? :-D

 

More like Mediterranean
My pale swedish skin envies YFM's tan

 

I know how you feel Mel - mine is Irish phosphorescent white.

 

And I wasn't even tan in that picture.

 

I'm not buying those stats.

It's saying there were 675 reported interstate rapes and murders 1979-2009, therefor if you divide that number by the total population of the united states, then you'll get the odds of being raped or murdered while hitch hiking.

There are a number of problems with this. First, a lot of rapes go unreported. It's not considering combined rapes and murders. It's not breaking down stats by gender. Lastly and most important, it's dividing these by the total population of the unites states, but since the entire population of the united states isn't hitch hiking each year, this is absurd. Any meaningful stat would divide reported rapes and murders by the total number of hitch hiking trips, while acknowledging there would be a lot of under reporting for rapes and attempted rapes.

I met a girl who hitched and ran into trouble. Dude decided he wasn't taking her where she wanted to go. Wouldn't let her out when she asked to be let out. All she had to do though was say "I have a knife, I won't hesitate to use it", and he pulled over.

I think that would take care of most of the mofo's out there. If you actually have a knife and are prepared to use it, I'd say just put it right up the dude's jugular or carotid, have him drop you off in a public place. That'll take care of most of the crazy mofo's that are left over.

Using something like craigslist instead of hitching would be better too, because at least there some form of electronic record of the trip

 

Yeah I agree about the stats and I agree about the knife.

What about my idea an app you use to send a photo of the car?

I just hate to let fear win. The experiences and conversations I've had have been so worthwhile. Most people are not dangerous.

Also.. It depends what kinda traveller. Like, I guess the reason they might make good victims is that no one will notice they're missing, or know where they went missing. If you make it known that you have a specific destination, have someone expecting you, someone knows where you are etc.. Probably helps.

The risk that remains.. Eh, I just would rather take than miss out on the positives.

I still believe the people who fear the most are often the ones who don't do the things. Like the wildly exaggerated amount of glass/needles/bees that none barefooters believe is on the ground : )

 

NZ may be much safer

Carrying a knife doesn't mean you have to be fearful, it just means that you're prepared