My friend is one of those free spirit types which is one of the things I love about her. However it is also one of her qualities that worries me the most. She wen to Mardi Gra this year and she hitchhiked home. I was sick to death not because of what she had already done but because she justifies it with the logic that she keeps surviving using this means of travel in spite of the shady characters she meets so it must be fine. What could I possibly do or say to discourage her from hitchhiking?
I woudn't worry too much,there doesn't seem to be many reports of hitch-hikers disappearing these days,last one I remember getting loads of coverage was the Falconio thing in the Australian outback a few years ago.Are the characters she meets shady?Is that what she told you or are you percieving those men offering her help as somehow shady and out to molest and kidnap lone female travellers?
"Shady" is definitely her choice of words not mine. She said she carries a knife with her just in case. She knows something could happen. You can't trust a guy you meet at a bar much less a roadside stranger.
You're right to be nervous about your friend serial killers and generally homicidal lunatics always target hitchhikers. this is a case from the 90's that was just recently solved. The green river killer chose hitchhikers and "prostitutes". That killer in Virgina was raping male hitchhikers and murdering them. Henry lee Lucas also murdered hitchhikers. I don't know what you should do but you need to impress upon her the huge risk she is taking by getting picked up by strange men in the middle of no where. They always dump the bodies on the side of the highway.
Right,I've thought more about this and I realise that eventhough the risk is small,there is none the less a risk.So I thought that these guidelines might help her in adopting a safer approach to hitch hiking.She may or may not be already doing this.
1.Never hitch at night 2.Never get into a car if you will be the only female in it with 2 or more males. 3.Leave a plan with friends and keep in regular contact using a mobile phone. 4.Always keep the mobile phone on and fully charged when hitching. 5.Try and target female drivers for lifts,using a placard or politely declining lifts from males. 6.Dress Modestly.
Regarding point 5 I think it would be a good idea if women drivers were made more aware of,and encouraged to,helping out da sistas who hitch.Does your friend get lifts from female drivers by any chance?
In my opinion carrying a knife is a no no.To do anything with a knife you actually have to get close to the assailant,chances are he'll have it out of your hands in no time,and if you do inflict one wound it probably won't stop him.Better to carry pepper spray or something like that which you can use from a safe distance.
Have you ever seen an episode of scared straight? That might be a good tactic. Show her some crazy scary murder movie based on a true story. There was a movie made about HLL in the nineties, and there is a mini series by lifetime called the Capture of the Green River Killer, which alleges to be a monumentally better predecessors to the first film debut of the GRK. ;-) IMDB is your friend. Maybe if your friend is faced with the "facts" of the reality that people who hitchhike are the targets of murderers and crazies she'll be less apt to continue . . . safely or other wise.
Edit of Original post Have you ever seen an episode of scared straight? That might be a good tactic. Show her some crazy scary murder movie based on a true story. There was a movie made about HLL in the nineties, and there is a mini series by lifetime called the Capture of the Green River Killer, which alleges to be a monumentally better predecessors to the first film debut of the GRK. It starts this sunday @ 8 ;-) IMDB is your friend. Maybe if your friend is faced with the "facts" of the reality that people who hitchhike are the targets of murderers and crazies she'll be less apt to continue . . . safely or other wise.
Personaly I think you are right to be worried about your friend and from what you have said you seem caring and as though you worry for her.
My advice I would give is to sit her down and talk to her and tell her the dangers, that are involved in things like this because from what I have read she doesnt see many or if she does they arent serious enough to make her stop. I would try to scare heras others have said tell her what could happen and also the effect on others that she is worrying and make sure she does no that people about her and would be a relife of their shoulders if she did stop.
Did anyone else check out the Green River Killer mini series?? I missed half of the first part and made sure That I didn't miss any of the second half. Does anybody know if they are going to be playing it again I really want to see the parts that I missed... I mean it was still good without that part but it just not complete to me...
i missed part one on sunday but luckily they played part one before part two on monday. wasn't too bad at all. i wish my friend watched it with me because i think it definitely would have deterred her from hitch hiking. hopefully there will be re-runs.
