Giving Rides to Strangers

[UGetPaid]

I was hoping to start a discussion about giving rides to strangers and get some thoughts and feedback. I have had two specific instances in just the past couple of months where I was able to help some people out by giving them rides in town. They were two very different circumstances, but each had their own value.

I've blogged about the details in my "No Coincidences with God" blog.  Anyway, I think situations vary from one instance to another; but would you ever consider giving a stranger a ride in your car? Is this a good deed or asking for trouble?  A lot has to do with the circumstances specific to the situation; I think both of my recent occasions were unique.  One involved a woman down on her luck who was panhandling in a store parking lot; the other involved two foreign students working in our local tourist industry who didn't know that the bus didn't run on Sundays and needed a ride to their jobs at a waterpark resort.

My blog entries contain much more detail as the circumstances which put each of these people on a common path with me were quite unique and "coincidental" which also factored into my decision to give them the rides.  (I put coincidental into quotes because the whole theme behind my blog is that there are no coincidences with God). If you want more details of my encounters, do a Google search for No Coincidences with God and Language Barrier, and the more recent blog post should appear in the search results.

Generally speaking, without going into specifics, I DO think that it is a bad idea to offer rides to strangers. What opinions and experiences do others have?

[alaskakaren]

I don't do it ever...I don't drive anymore...but I drove for almost 50 years and in not sure if I ever picked up a hitchhiker...sorry.

[vickysue]

i picked up a couple in my younger days, this was before so much trouble  going on. Now i would no more pick up some one then i would throw hubby  in the air. He is a lot bigger then me.  But i also carried a major stun gun and it was always handy for me. Had to take one man down with it. Right in groin and oh did he cry like a baby.  Security and the cops gathered him up fast. 

[miltonarmitage]

Its a shame there are so many bad people in the world today as we could all benefit from a helping hand now and then but I think its just to dangerous to be a good samaritan. Instead of offering rides, maybe using your cell phone to call a cab or relative for them is a better idea.

[ljrjess69]

no way am i giving a ride to a stranger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nancy5]

I would love to help someone out by giving a ride to a stranger, but I'm not a fool either.  It's a shame the world is like it is, but you don't know who you are allowing into your car.  Sorry there is no way I would allow a stranger in my car.

[michele2042]

Other than when I was much younger and it was normal to see people hitchiking and it was no biggie, I have given a ride to two people.  As I was leaving my house going to work I would see this young man walking every day, very well dressed and carrying what appeared to be a briefcase/book bag.  Each day I watched him as I drove by him.  Finally one day it was raining and I just couldn't bear to go past him, even though he had an umbrella.  I stopped, mind you I was very nervous but I had been passing him for a couple of weeks.  I pulled over and asked him where he was going.  He was on his way to a School for the Deaf and Blind not far from where I live, he was volunteering in order to get some credit for a college class he was taking.  I drove him there and never regretted it.   I did give him a lift a few more times when I saw him.  Each time he offered to pay me a little but I refused.

The second time it was an elderly woman who was walking with grocery bags.  I didn't hesitate to stop and pick her up.  It was a hot day and she was so relieved to get a ride.  She asked me if she could hug me before she got out at her house.  Yes, I hugged her.

While I would never normally do this in these cases it just seemed the right thing to do.

[vg7405]

As a female, I am usually very reluctant to provide rides to strangers.

[natashaspy]

I never ever give rides anymore.  You never know who you can trust.  I will let someone use my phone or will call someone for a ride if they need it. 

[ejholt]

I would NEVER pick up a stranger.  all the that is going on now a day it is not a good idea.

[mrsmere]

I think its a bad idea to pick up strangers.  Everyone does not have good intentions and its so much going on in the world today. 

[dsosnowski06]

Now days I would not take the chance especially with living and driving in large city.  I would prefer to call a ride for them or give them money for a cab. 

[JaniceSW]

It would be great if everyone was honest and had good intentions.  I would love to be helpful whenever I could.  However, if you watch as much true crime as I do, you are opening yourself up to problems whether male or female.  Whether robbery, rape, or murder, I am not about to take a chance.

[bretay]

nope i am not picking up a stranger...too many bad people out there..and i know not all are bad..the ones i picked up would be..

[missplaymate618]

I have never given a ride to a stranger, especially being a mom of 2 small children, you never know what could happen.