It's just not safe to stop anymore.  If you think someone needs help, you can call on your cell phone and get help for them.

I would almost never stop for anyone, but I have been in a car when an exception presented itself and my mother relented and helped them out. We were traveling between 2 small towns in Kansas, dead of winter, and a man was walking down the highway with a small boy beside him and an infant girl in his arms. He belonged to a car we'd seen half a mile back, and we offered them a ride to the store to call his wife for pickup.

Depends on a lot of variables. What time of day or night is it? Where is it? Are they beside an apparently broken down car? What gender are they? How many of them are there?

I lean towards no, but I will, and have made exceptions.

sorry but no. too dangerous. i feel bad for the honest person who really could use a ride. if i had a cell phone may make a call for them to help if they were stranded due to a car breaking down. just not safe to let strangers ride in my car.

I guess people still do this...it was a pretty popular activity during the 70's, and extremely dangerous. Despite the well-publicized activities of serial killer Edmund Kemper in the area around Santa Cruz, CA, during 1972-73 (he picked up female hitchhikers, raped them, and killed them...not necessarily in that order), pretty young females would still hitchhike. I remember doing it with a male friend when we were 14 or 15. We were picked up by a man and a woman, and they seemed reasonably safe to our callow minds. When we had reached the area where we wanted to get dropped off, I said, "You can let us out here." The adult male said, "We're not gonna let you out. Sorry." This was indeed troubling information, as we had no way of knowing whether they were joking or serious (even if they had been joking, it was in very poor taste). My friend, who was a tougher specimen than I was (thankfully) had his fist cocked behind the seat, ready to hit the male half of our suddenly-intimidating "chauffers" in the head with all his might if necessary. Thankfully, they pulled off the road, let us out, and said laughingly, "Just kiddin', guys." As they sped off, we both let out a simultaneous and shaky sigh of relief. In retrospect, it might have been a good thing that what happened happened, as I never hitchhiked after that. I suppose people still engage in it, but it's extremely fool-hardy, in my opinion, to engage in it either as the hitch-hiker or the person picking up the hitch-hiker. I'm a compassionate person, but I've read and seen "In Cold Blood" too many times to stop my car and "help somebody out." A sad symptom of the modern age, I guess.

Most probably actually do need help, but in this day and age, unfortunately, one cannot be too careful.

I like my internal organs where they are, thank you!

It's better to be safe than sorry.

Not likely in this day and age.I have picked people up (usually a woman alone and in the rain,for fear that some pervert might if I didn't)-but not in the last 10 years or so.I also have had to hitch a few times,but again-that was long ago.

though i would feel bad for the person i would not take the risk. it could be a fatal mistake. it just wouldnt be worth it.

Depends on the surrounding circumstances, of course, but would in any case offer in trepidation to help out some poor soul only if in car all by myself; not about to risk putting family members or a friend in harm's way.

It's not like we haven't been warned: ask C. Thomas Howell if he ever got over Rutger Hauer in 'The Hitcher' (1986). Hauer was just as terryfying to me as the shark was in 'Jaws', I'm sure you'll agree; no kiddin'. Then - hitchhikers or not - there are also: Brad Pitt in 'Kalifornia' (1993) and Martin Sheen in Terrence Malick's 'Badlands' (1973) - or there's Woody Harrelson in Oliver Stone's 'Natural Born Killers' (1994) or Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern in David Lynch's 'Wild at Heart' (1990) and...and Tommy Lee Jones and Rosanna Arquette in 'The Executioner's Song' (1982) or Robert Blake and...and Scott Wilson...and...

On second thought, maybe I should take back what's in the first paragraph, here. It's not like I'll be leaving the house anytime soon, either.

Not to be heartless, but this is really a no-win situation. I'm using my time, my car, my gas, putting myself at risk, I mean, I have a family to take care, just to help a stranger get from point A to point B a little quicker? Alot of people who pick up hitchhikers have some ulterior motive involved besides giving them a ride. Someone on the side of the road with car trouble, of course I will stop.

I would say never to this but one time I saw a hitchhiker ahead and as I got closer it turned out to be someone I knew that had car trouble...so yes I did stop. A stranger, NEVER.

Generally, no. Hate to be suspicious over something that may be harmless, but it's just not safe to pick up strangers, and on the flip side, it's not safe to be the one hitchhiking, either!

Probably not a good idea in a general sense and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else but personally I'd consider doing it. Depends on a number of variables. If it's stormy and cold and we're far from shelter I'd consider stopping.

I do not recommend anyone do this unless you know the person, it is simply too dangerous in todays world.