Saw something today I haven’t seen for years..

[Primus1]

A hitchhiker, coming home tonight I saw a guy on the opposite side of the road with his thumb out hitching a lift, he was in an awkward place just before the road goes into a dual carriageway, so it would be potentially dangerous for someone to stop, I used to see hitchhikers all the time and have even given a lift to one years ago, mind you, that was leaving somewhere I was working and happened to be passing where they needed to be..

[Bper]

Hi Alan, you are right you certainly don't see hitchhiker's if any these days. Mind you I suspect that with the unpredictable nature of people and the knife crime etc those that would pick any up wouldn't today.

I used to see loads growing up and hitchhiked myself a couple of times with my mate when we decided to take a long journey and needed a lift back. Really shows how society has changed thats for sure.

[Haliotis]

Years ago I would always stop for servicemen hitching a lift home for the weekend.  Until there was an incident where the driver was attacked by servicemen and his car stolen from him.  After that, no more giving lifts to strangers - military or civil.

[toyotahoarder]

all those netflix documentaries on serial K has got everyone spooked

[Primus1]

1 hour ago, toyotahoarder said:

all those netflix documentaries on serial K has got everyone spooked

Yes, I’d never give anyone a lift whose carrying a chainsaw…

[Gren]

I sometimes give lifts to hitchhikers carrying trade plates.  I once picked up a guy near Falkirk and dropped him at Knutsford servcies - he'd been delivering a new refuse truck to Falkirk Council from Birmingham.  he said it had been fitted with a speed regulator maxed at 40mph - all the way up the M6 & M74.  😬

[Mjolinor]

12 minutes ago, Gren said:

I sometimes give lifts to hitchhikers carrying trade plates.  I once picked up a guy near Falkirk and dropped him at Knutsford servcies - he'd been delivering a new refuse truck to Falkirk Council from Birmingham.  he said it had been fitted with a speed regulator maxed at 40mph - all the way up the M6 & M74.  😬

Money would be better spent fitting a device that stopped them pulling out in front and blocking the road in order to get half a meter closer to a bin.

They are, without exception, streets worse than any other vehicle on the road.

[Haliotis]

2 hours ago, Mjolinor said:

Money would be better spent fitting a device that stopped them pulling out in front and blocking the road in order to get half a meter closer to a bin.

They are, without exception, streets worse than any other vehicle on the road.

In our area they don’t even put them back on the edge of the drive - usually leaving them in the middle of the pavement.

[Parts-King]

Back in the day as a young apprentice, I would swop news cars with dealers up and down the land, often hitching a lift with trade plates, in those days, if the dealer you worked at had a Blue Corolla in stock, but the customer wanted a Red one, the only way to get it would be a dealer swop. I have literally hitched a lift all over the country, happy days, paid cash in hand too

[Roy124]

Last hitch hiker I picked up was in a race.  Six had had a day out in the peaks.  At the end of the day they split up only to RV at a pub.  

Mine did not think they would win as my drop off was not the best for the next ride. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Last time I picked up a hitchhiker, they were on their way to visit Cadbury's World. A chocolate fanatic, he enthused about all types of chocolate, but especially Mars chocolate. Got fed up of hearing about the hitchhiker's guide to Galaxy .....

[MC1216]

1 minute ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Last time I picked up a hitchhiker, they were on their way to visit Cadbury's World. A chocolate fanatic, he enthused about all types of chocolate, but especially Mars chocolate. Got fed up of hearing about the hitchhiker's guide to Galaxy .....

I snickered at that...

[Mjolinor]

29 minutes ago, MC1216 said:

I snickered at that...

That's a bit off Topic.

[Mjolinor]

EEK, they stopped making Topic in 2021. That was sneaky.

[Cyker]

That's why I love this forum - Always a Bounty of good humour, although this thread might turn into a bit of a Marathon   

 

11 hours ago, Primus1 said:

Yes, I’d never give anyone a lift whose carrying a chainsaw…

It depends; If it's a Makita or Festool or Milwaukee or something like that you're probably okay as no psycho murderer would use tools of that sort of quality. If it's a DeWalt or Black&Decker or god forbid B&Q-own brand then floor it and don't look back!  

But it's the ones muttering things like "Yess yeess they'lll seee!" or "Hail Satan!" that you've got to look out for, even if they claim they're just humming the lyrics to a metal song!  

 

[Roy124]

I have a rather good Battery chain saw.  It could even fit in a shoulder holster.  Chop off a limb in no time.  Even cut down small trees

[Cyker]

Hows it against the undead...?   

[Rhymes with Paris]

Years ago I used to give lifts to hitchhikers until I gradually came to realise there was something seriously wrong with most of them.

Of course, thinking about it many years later, the main reason for hitchhiking would be no money to travel, therefore desperate for any advantage over another.

No money, no forward thinking, no common sense.

Once I realised most of them wanted to " borrow" money,be treated to food at services, demanded to be taken to their destination, rather than dropped off.

Entitled tossers mostly, I soon learned to leave 'em walking.

 

[Rhymes with Paris]

21 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Hows it against the undead...?   

You jest I know Cyker, but don't forget Roy is not very far from me.

They are rife around here, walking around in hordes, swinging the one arm about, and emitting gutteral grunts, while smelling really bad.

[Primus1]

I actually met my wife whilst she was hitchhiking, she told me she was a witch, and it was true, she put her hand on my knee and I turned into a lay-by 

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

Hows it against the undead...?

Try asking Alexa 'when is the zombie apocalipse?'

[Haliotis]

14 hours ago, Primus1 said:

I actually met my wife whilst she was hitchhiking, she told me she was a witch, and it was true, she put her hand on my knee and I turned into a lay-by 

I think I’ll take a back seat on that!😜

[Roy124]

The last person I gave a lift to was a young, pretty French girl backpacking in the Highlands.  I considered warning her of the dangers but in the event I didn't.   She had got where she had and obviously was dependent on hiking. 

I also hitch kicked recently (late 90s).  My wife had run the car to empty and I didn't notice.  I grabbed the empty can and prepared to  leg it up the road when a car stopped and gave me a lift.  I was a little miffed he didn't run me back 😀 but i soon got a little back.

The police kindly guarded the car while i was away.  I had rushed for the lift abd and left the car unlocked. 

[Hadrian1]

On 4/24/2024 at 10:13 AM, Haliotis said:

In our area they don’t even put them back on the edge of the drive - usually leaving them in the middle of the pavement.

They do the same where we are.

[Roy124]

On 4/24/2024 at 10:23 AM, Parts-King said:

Back in the day as a young apprentice, I would swop news cars with dealers up and down the land, often hitching a lift with trade plates, in those days, if the dealer you worked at had a Blue Corolla in stock, but the customer wanted a Red one, the only way to get it would be a dealer swop. 

Does that still go on?

Eyres at Coningsby did that for me.   I wanted a Silver Mondeo Ghia with boot spoiler, I thought it needed a spoiler for the style.   He sent a trailer to the West Country and did a swap.  There must have been some profit in it.