Thumbing

Degag

I remember that a few years ago, you couldn't go on a journey without seeing 5 or 6 people trying to thumb lifts on the road. Most of them would get a lift to wherever they were going too. These days it's alot rarer to see people doing this though and more often than not, people don't stop stop for them anymore.

Today was the first time in a long time that i saw someone stop to pick up a person. So AH, do you stop to pick up thumbers or do you engage in this practice tourself?

krudler

Aw, I thought something new and fun had replacing fingering.

molloyjazz

i did it 6 months ago from roscommon to athlone, got picked up by the 1st car that stopped!..

Mr Benevolent

Nah. Too many films about hitchhikers getting bludgeoned to death or doing the bludgeoning.

PK2008

Nah, seen way too many horror flicks

Edit: Confab??

*Twilight music*

o1s1n

Only attractive young women.

I don't have a car though. I just pick them up and run away.

Ruu_Old

Too many of them carrying axes, chainsaws and other blunt objects, think they would cop on!

PK2008

I always stop to give lifts:

orourkeda

http://pix.motivatedphotos.com/2008/11/28/633635072704415042-Hitchhikers.jpg

Cheap Thrills!

krudler wrote: »

Aw, I thought something new and fun had replacing fingering.

That's not new! :cool:

*hobbles off like a Cowboy*

alwaysadub

Very rarely see them,but i usually drive alone so wouldn't stop to pick them up anyway!

Demonon

molloyjazz wrote: »

i did it 6 months ago from roscommon to athlone, got picked up by the 1st car that stopped!..

As opposed to getting picked up by the cars that didn't stop ?

RoyalMarine

scene from jay and silent bob comes to mind!

SV

Demonon wrote: »

As opposed to getting picked up by the cars that didn't stop ?

some stop and wait till the person gets right to the door then drive off again..

quite cruel..bit funny though

Kasabian

I pick up hitchhikers when I can , it reminds me of the days when thumbing was my only form of transport.

Loopy

I remember when prince played in cork and my mate and I decided to hitch down from Dublin with fuck all money and no tickets :rolleyes:
Jesus, when I think of it now - we were still in school at the time and totally fearless.
We were in trucks and lorrys and all sorts and eventually got a lift off 2 real nerdy guys. On the motorway this real sporty car was beside us containing 2 really hawt guys and we were sticking our tongues out etc and we signalled for them to pull in.. Out we jump from the nerds car and into the other car.
What a night... They brought us back to Dublin too..

Banned Account

I used to thumb a lot when i were a nipper, always swore that when i got a car, i'd pick up everyone.

Now, most of my driving time is work-related. I work for a financial institution and have to take calls on the hands-free a lot so can't have a stranger in the car.

I feel guilty when I pass them though:(

Loopy

My brother used to always stop for hitch hikers, and wait a good bit ahead. He'd watch them run to the car and then very abruptly ask them the time and promptly drive off...

pickarooney

I used to hitchhike a bit, often on a whim. I went out to get a beer once and ended up 1300km away in Germany. I was pretty thirsty by the time I got there.

I would pick up hikers if I were going more than 5km and if I didn't have two car seats hogging all the space.

evolutionqy7

it used to depend...havent thumbed in over a year now but sometimes it used to be very quick...to few hours...

i never have picked up a hitch-hiker...i want to pick up hitch hikers but i only realised that i had to stop 2km after i passed one lol...then i feel very bad all day lol

The Hill Billy

krudler wrote: »

Aw, I thought something new and fun had replacing fingering.

What you are thinking of is indeed fun, but certainly not new. Very 80's in fact.

sam34

wouldnt thumb or pick up a hitchhiker, not worth the risk to my personal safety, imo

oppenheimer1

molloyjazz wrote: »

i did it 6 months ago from roscommon to athlone, got picked up by the 1st car that stopped!..

It would have been odd if you were picked up by the first car that was still moving!

davrho

Still get this a lot on the Maynooth to Kilcock old road as there are only a couple of buses a day. I would normally stop as its only a few mins journey.

mikom

I'm the hitcher
Let me put you in the picture
Creeping in your room in the dead of night
With me solo polo vision

Macsimus

yrs ago a mate of mine who's always a disaster lit up a smoke on the last dart and got me thrown off with him - we were at Landesdowne rd and walked up to jury's in ballsbridge discussing what to do

I suggested we try and thumb a lift - he said that it wasn't worth the effort and that there was no chance of someone stopping for us 2 - scoby looking teens that we were in them days

Anyways, i stick out my thumb and the first car that we encounter pulls over. The door opens, and 'people are strange' by the Doors is blaring out.

We get into the car and he says 'do you know how to roll a joint' - at this stage i'm thinking this is too good to be true -

anyways long story short - i roll the fella nice bifty - and my inebriated mate in the back takes one blow of it and proceeds to puke all over the back of his car..

He still drove us home to our door - 15+ miles out of his way - some people are too nice for their own good

CrazyRabbit

sam34 wrote: »

wouldnt thumb or pick up a hitchhiker, not worth the risk to my personal safety, imo

To be fair, I wouldn't get into a car with you either

epgc3fyqirnbsx

This is mad, I was thinking of starting a hitchhiking thread myself!

Used to hitch everywhere, in and out of school (always missed the bus), up and down from college, outta town on nights out.

Wouldn't do it now though, more for pride reasons than anything else

evolutionqy7

Pearl Puny Barracuda wrote: »

This is mad, I was thinking of starting a hitchhiking thread myself!

Used to hitch everywhere, in and out of school (always missed the bus), up and down from college, outta town on nights out.

Wouldn't do it now though, more for pride reasons than anything else

hmm same here used to do it when was in school after finishing work sometimes couldnt get a life so would have to hitchike...especially coming out from a garage with dirty clothes seeing you standing beside the street is kinda de moralising

remembering

o1s1n wrote: »

Only attractive young women.

I don't have a car though. I just pick them up and run away.

So funny, that gave me a laugh!! Posters on here are just so witty! lol :D:D

Chet Zar

Ha that's mad - never realised it but I never see anyone hitching any more!! Guess we have more motorways now??

Dudess

Degag wrote: »

I remember that a few years ago, you couldn't go on a journey without seeing 5 or 6 people trying to thumb lifts on the road. Most of them would get a lift to wherever they were going too. These days it's alot rarer to see people doing this though and more often than not, people don't stop stop for them anymore.

After Hours so... because:

- Of all the paedos out there nowadays

Or

- Everyone has a car now cuz of the Celtic Tiger

stovelid

Loopy wrote: »

What a night... They brought us back to Dublin too..

All the way?

flahavaj

Thought this thread was about thumbing it in...

Tail Wagger

Degag wrote: »

I remember that a few years ago, you couldn't go on a journey without seeing 5 or 6 people trying to thumb lifts on the road. Most of them would get a lift to wherever they were going too. These days it's alot rarer to see people doing this though and more often than not, people don't stop stop for them anymore.

Today was the first time in a long time that i saw someone stop to pick up a person. So AH, do you stop to pick up thumbers or do you engage in this practice tourself?

Yeah, when your coming up to them It's the thumb up when you pass them by...It's the middle finger standing upright?:eek:

Lando Griffin

All the young people have loads of money these days so take public transport.

boobar

I spent years thumbing so I've always tried to pick up hitchhikers myself. Once though, I picked up this guy who was thumbing with a petrol can. I thought he had broken down somewhere - I said to him, "Run out of petrol?" No, I don't own a car he said back, I'm just going to town to pick up a few bits. Then he starts askin for a loan of a few quid and wouldn't get out of the car....Now I'm a little more selective about who I pick up.

stovelid

Hitched a lift in Germany years ago and didn't realize until we pulled off that the driver was drunk and drinking behind the wheel.

It wasn't all bad though: when I finally got out, he threw a soft toy out at me before pulling away erratically.

Dudess

Heh, how delightfully German - polite and mild-mannered even when aggressive!

Tail Wagger

stovelid wrote: »

Hitched a lift in Germany years ago and didn't realize until we pulled off that the driver was drunk and drinking behind the wheel.

It wasn't all bad though: when I finally got out, he threw a soft toy out at me before pulling away erratically.

Maybe it was because you kept him awake!!!

Stinicker

As a driver I have only ever picked up hitchhikers a few times, I have picked up a few people I know which was fine as I know them.

Where I live there is a regional road which connects to an N-Road, lots of times Students and other bus users would be waiting at this junction as they would get off there to catch the next bus serving the towns back along the regional road. The wait for the same bus can be half an hour, so I have often picked up people at this cross that I know.

About two weeks ago I picked up two french girls who were both about 18 and had a "Killarney" piece of cardboard and I happened to be going there so picked up the two and drove them into the town centre. If I had known they were French I would not have picked them up all the same, but they looked normal.

Thankfully I never have had to "thumb" but pick up hitchhikers out of chauvinism (attractive women always get picked up)!:rolleyes:. I remember as a kid driving somewhere through clare my father picked up a hitchhiker who turned out to be from New Zealand and she continued all the ways up with us to Donegal! A few months later we got a lovely letter and some photos of her trip and thanking our family for giving her a lift!

I find nowadays its mainly broke backpackers who are hitching!

starbelgrade

There's a lot less hitch-hikers than there used to be and those that there are now, don't seem to recognise the etiquette involved. It used to be, that if a driver was turning off at the next left or right, they would indicate that by pointing their finger left or right. The hitch-hiker would understand that and give a wave of appreciation - a sort of "thanks anyway".

I have done this a few times in recent years & have been given the finger or looked at in bemusement by the hikers I've passed.

However, whenever I can, I will give them a lift, mostly to educate them in the reason why drivers may point their fingers left or right. Most of them probably think I'm a weirdo.

evolutionqy7

Lando Griffin wrote: »

All the young people have loads of money these days so take public transport.

oh yeah? try finding public transport around the country side...two buses go through my town once a day...neither of them go back through the same route so if you took one you cant get back...

25 quid for a taxi...

being a student wouldnt call myself rich...most young people dont have the money either since the downturn their parents strap their belts tighter!

pa990

i dont pick up hitch hikers, i'm afraid that they might claim off my insurance if anything happened*



(*motor car accident related)

poisonated

Stinicker wrote: »

If I had known they were French I would not have picked them up all the same, but they looked normal.

:eek:

evolutionqy7

pa990 wrote: »

i dont pick up hitch hikers, i'm afraid that they might claim off my insurance if anything happened*



(*motor car accident related)

thats just a bad excuse...

Doop

pa990 wrote: »

i dont pick up hitch hikers, i'm afraid that they might claim off my insurance if anything happened*



(*motor car accident related)

Wow living life on the edge ay?
I dont bring friends* into my house for the same reason

*i dont have any friends :pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

refusetolose

Macsimus wrote: »

yrs ago a mate of mine who's always a disaster lit up a smoke on the last dart and got me thrown off with him - we were at Landesdowne rd and walked up to jury's in ballsbridge discussing what to do

I suggested we try and thumb a lift - he said that it wasn't worth the effort and that there was no chance of someone stopping for us 2 - scoby looking teens that we were in them days

Anyways, i stick out my thumb and the first car that we encounter pulls over. The door opens, and 'when you're strange' by the Doors is blaring out.

We get into the car and he says 'do you know how to roll a joint' - at this stage i'm thinking this is too good to be true -

anyways long story short - i roll the fella nice bifty - and my inebriated mate in the back takes one blow of it and proceeds to puke all over the back of his car..

He still drove us home to our door - 15+ miles out of his way - some people are too nice for their own good

people are strange indeed

Ridley

mikom wrote: »

I'm the hitcher
Let me put you in the picture
Creeping in your room in the dead of night
With me solo polo vision

That's right.

KingLoser

i hitch a good bit, especially now that outdoor season has kicked in. i never understood hitchers who get angry when people pass them by though, i mean, they don't owe us anything...

just appreciate the lift when i can get it.

oh yeah, obligatory "DOES HITCHIN YORE MA COUNT??"

stovelid

Dudess wrote: »

Heh, how delightfully German - polite and mild-mannered even when aggressive!

Tail Wagger wrote: »

Maybe it was because you kept him awake!!!

I often wonder how he explained it his kid/niece/nephew though.