Giving Rides to Strangers

[metsrock69]

I am a professional not uber driver and all of the time, I pick up strangers. sometimes I feel a little nervous but most of my clients are business and don't really worry too much

[6265AT99]

Although I've never had any "experiences" giving rides to "strangers", I too believe especially in this day and age, that it is a BAD IDEA!  I won't do it since there really are too many "weirdos" out there and a woman alone in a car is definitely gonna cause some problems!

[debidoo]

It has been a couple of years but I went to the hardware store and they were already closed - there was a lady and her young daughter who walked up and got really upset because they needed a lock for their house - long story about the lock but next closest place was walmart miles away so I gave them a ride and waited for them to come out and took them all the way back to town to their house.  I do believe I was supposed to do this but I would have to feel really led to do something similar because of my age, level of handicap etc.

[linderlizzie]

I've given rides to strangers many, many times. I go on a case by case basis and make a judgement call. It's getting scarier and scarier to do, however. 

I really do think twice before I do it.

[countrygirl12]

I would never give a ride to a stranger.  People can pose as anything but be part of a set up to kill you or rob you.  We live in a very unsafe bad world.

[Penwoir]

I recall when I was a young girl we were camping in Wales. We passed a stranger who was thumbing for a lift, and my Dad stopped to pick him up and drove him to the next town. He was a pleasant guy, and very grateful for the ride. Haven't times changed. Now I am a mom of two boys and I wouldn't dare pick up a stranger, whether he needed a ride or not. The only time my husband has picked a stranger up is when their truck broke down at a junction on the highway, they had run out of gas and were not able to get to the gas station so my husband gave the Dad a ride to the petrol station and then a lift back to his vehicle. He and his family were so grateful. I would never do it without my husband in the car though.

[UGetPaid]

As the OP who posed the question, I think I probably agree with the general consensus that it is usually a bad idea.  But in the two situations I experienced, I was drawn to offer the rides and it was the right thing to do.  The first woman was a little down on her luck and might have been a bit mentally unstable, but I talked with her for several minutes before she asked if I could give her a ride.  I was close to telling her no, but something drew me to say okay and she was very thankful for it. I admit it was probably a bad decision that I might not make again, but it all worked out in the end and I felt better about doing it.  The other situation, I actually DID call a cab for two young girls, but it took too long to get there, so I offered to give them a ride instead.  Again, no problems and I did my good deed for the day.


25 years ago, I was in college working late and driving home after dark on the highway.  My car broke down and I was a few miles away from any exits/civilization and this was before the days that everyone carried a mobile phone.  I locked up my car and started walking.  I did not put my thumb out and planned to walk the several miles to my exit (not far from my house, so there was no need to look for a public phone).  About 200-300 yards into my trek, a car stopped and a few young guys asked if that was my car back on the side of the road and if I needed a lift.  I told them it was and that I wasn't going far, but if they could drop me at the exit, I would be grateful.  The kid said to me, "You know I'm not supposed to do this sort of thing." meaning picking up strangers, but he said he didn't think it was right to let me walk.  If he hadn't seen my car stopped along the berm, he said he wouldn't have stopped.


He ended up driving me to my house and I was able to call a repair shop to tow my car in the following day.


The truth it, we never know for sure who is safe and who is not.  But having been on the other end of it, it felt good to be able to help someone else out now.  That said, if my wife or daughter offered or agreed to give a ride to a stranger without me or some other trusted and able-bodied man in the car with them, I would probably be livid.  It is sad that this is the world we live in, but it is.

[gsdoss]

Big no

[moonangel]

i would not ever give a stranger a ride but i would make a call for them. however on the flip side i would never accept a ride from a stranger would ask them to make a fone call for me but nowadays i always have my cell fone width lme

[ancmetro]

    It is too risky...give rides only to people you know.

[Skyisbluetoday]

Not sure if would or wouldn't.