DriveSmartBC - Is Hitch Hiking Illegal?
 

I saw a hitch hiker this morning sitting with his back against the left turn signal post on the traffic island adjacent to a left turn lane. He was holding a destination sign and was in a perfect position to talk to drivers who were waiting for the signal to change. The duration of the signal was such that he had plenty of time to hop in if he was able to convince someone to give him a ride.

He had neatly circumvented the rule against being on the roadway to solicit a ride because the raised traffic island is not designed for or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic. I suspect that he was also attracting more attention as he was not standing on the right shoulder of the highway where most drivers would expect to see him. Do you think that he caught a ride quicker than hitch hiking using the "conventional" method?

This also brought to mind what are known as "Schedule 1 Highways" or what would be more commonly known as a freeway. Due to the risk of collision, both hitch hiking and stopping to pick up a hitch hiker is illegal here. In fact, it is illegal to be a pedestrian on this type of highway unless you are attending to a broken down vehicle or a sign permits pedestrians on the shoulder.

Is hitch hiking dangerous in other respects? I'll leave that for you to decide. Although I can tell you some horror stories from my past experience as a police officer, it is an economical method of travel if you meet the right people, but how can you really tell?

Reference Links

My brother has hitched Hiked accross Canada 3 times.. and around europe a couple times as well.. if you use commen sence i see nothing wrong with it..

I personal will give a hitch hiker a ride.. But thats based one a 10 second judgement call..

Look like a crazy person... no ride..

Look like a Hippy.. NO Ride..

Have an animal with you... No Ride..

Look like a gang member... No Ride..

Hot Chick..... RIDE available..

...and when you stop, some big thug jumps out of nowhere and you get robbed at gunpoint...

Dr. Eckersall, a local physician, was driving home from a country-club dance late one Saturday night. He slowed down a bit while driving past the lake so he could admire the glistening of the full moon against the water. Out of the corner of his eye appeared a lovely hot chick, dressed in the sheerest of evening gowns, beckoning him for a lift. He jammed on his brakes, and motioned her to climb into the back seat of his sedan. "All cluttered up with golf clubs and bags up here in front," he explained. "But what on earth is a youngster like you doing out here all alone at this time of night?"

"It's too long a story to tell you now," said the girl. Her voice was sweet and somewhat shrill -- like the tinkling of sleigh bells. "Please, please take me home. My car broke down a few miles back and I have been trying to get help for the longest time. I live up the road about 5 miles. I do hope it's not too far out of your way."

The doctor mumbled under his breath and set the car in motion. He drove rapidly to her destination, and as he pulled up before the shuttered house, he exclaimed, "Here we are." Then he turned around. The back seat was empty, except for a small puddle of lake water dripping down onto the floorboard.

"What the devil?" the doctor muttered to himself. The girl couldn't possibly have fallen from the car. Nor could she simply have vanished. He rang insistently on the house bell, confused as he had never been before. At long last the door opened. A gray-haired, very tired-looking man peered out at him.

"I can't tell you what an amazing thing has happened," began the doctor. "A young girl gave me this address a while back. I drove her here and . . ."

"Yes, yes, I know," said the man wearily. "This has happened several other Saturday evenings in the past month. That young girl, sir, was my daughter. She was killed in a boating accident on White Rock Lake almost two years ago . . ."

Moral of the story, hot chicks are ok. But chicks that are suspiciously hot is not.

^is that like the ubc story here?

Ghost stories... yee-haw. How about some reality?

If you live in Whistler, hitching is probably preferable to taking the bus.

I've picked hitchers up a few times before, always been a pleasant experience.

My dad told me about the time once when he was driving truck, he picked up a really dirty-looking hitcher... the guy told him how he'd been walking for days and needed to get his feet out of his boots, well... you can just imagine how that went. Dad was trying to be polite and didn't say anything but he said it took about 30 seconds for the guy to decide maybe he should put his boots back on... ;)

I hitched my way thru university but that was along time ago and a province far away. These days you never know what you are letting yourself into when you allow someone you know absoloutely nothing about, into your vehicle. It can be dangerous, unpleasant or costly. Females can scream rape unless you pay them off, people can be carrying things that are not legal and with the diseases going around, who knows what you could be exposing yourself to in a confined space for a long period of time. Personally I would not do it any more..too many chances for problems. I think you have to ask yourself first....would I let this stranger into my house...if you hesitate, then why into your car?