Was it a middle aged lady in Mazda?

Perhaps some dude in a pickup truck with a trailer?

Or someone in a Lexus?

Or a shiny new SUV?

No.

Or 2 dozen other vehicles which drove by? They all saw my ride parked a few miles down the road with a sheet of white paper hanging out of the window. But it was an old man in a old, early 80's brown Buick Skylark with many miles on it who stopped by and offered a ride -- when I was stranded due to broken timing belts in the Subaru. <sigh>

I generally don't ask for rides, I like to walk anyway, it was such a nice sunny day -- but I ran this little sociological experiment to see who would stop by first. Man of course is perceived as an aggressor, so I think the typical ratio should be at least 50 or 100 : 1 (e.q. 100 drive by and only 1 stops by to inquire).

.......

Finally an incentive to get FSM. I let a shade-tree mechanic install this 4-cyl engine and he doesn't know how to do the timing belts, and I know even less. I had these belts break *twice* already after the recent motor install, this time just 40 miles after the install. I am trying to be so patient, and I will give him the Subaru FSM once I find one on ebay...

 

There's a similar thread runnin' right now. I don't stop for guys. It's kinda a safety thing. It's interesting how civilization has changed though. Twenty years ago I would have stopped without a question.

 

I stopped and picked up an elderly bag lady a few years ago. She said it usually took a couple hours to get a ride but 20 years ago the first car would usually stop. I went 20 miles out of my way to drop her off. In Alaska my wife was always picking up hitch hikers and sometimes if it was getting toward night and snowing or nasty out she would just bring them home and we would feed them, do their laundry, let them shower and put them up for the night. We still get a card twice a year from one Austrailian pilot. He even tracked us down after we moved to Texas and sent one. We lived on the main highway between Anchorager and Fairbanks and there were always people hitch hiking. In the summer alot of Europeans hitch hike to Denali. There are some profiles that you just don't pick up but we sure me some interesting people giving rides.

 

I would only help elderly or someone I know of course. If you drive a chevy the hell with you though.

 

I took a sociology class about 2 years ago and did pretty much the same test. Except we used (this girl was my partner) 2 cars. Her Ford Escort and my F-150. I would stand at my truck on the side of the road for one hour and see how many people stopped and what gender. Then she would. Then we swapped cars and did the same thing. You didn't wave, all you did was stand there with the hood up and watch people pass.

When I was standing next to my truck only one guy stopped, but he knew me.
She had 3 guys stop.

With her car I got one lady to stop for me and one guy.
When she stood there she got 3 women and like 5 guys to stop.

We were putting a correlation between gender and vehicle type. Seems that female with a car attracts more people. We think that with her next to my truck its percieved as "her boyfriends truck".

Pretty neat test. Got an A on it too.

 

We were putting a correlation between gender and vehicle type. Seems that female with a car attracts more people.

Interesting. Of course - it is the "helpless female" stereotype whereas the man is perceived as an agressor.

I think just because someone stops by, doesn't mean you should accept his/her offer . Ulterior motives you know. Getting picked up by a vehicle when your breaks down, wasn't that in a horror movie once.