It's end of the road for hitchhiking

Updated on: 15 August,2011 10:44 AM IST |
Agencies |

Hitchhiking has apparently reached the end of the road, with less than 10 percent of drivers likely to stop to pick up someone thumbing for a lift

Hitchhiking has apparently reached the end of the road, with less than 10 percent of drivers likely to stop to pick up someone thumbing for a lift.

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A poll of 16,850 AA members showed that numbers who ignore travellers trying to thumb a lift has risen from 75 per cent to 91 per cent in two years, reports the Daily Express.

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Just one per cent of drivers have hitched themselves in the past yearu00a0-- and only one per cent said they were "very likely" to stop for someone.
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The vast majority said they had never hitch-hiked, including 75 per cent of females, 93 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 88 per cent of 25-34 year olds.
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Older people were more likely to have hitched at some point in their life, with about half of those aged 55 and over having tried it.
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AA president Edmund King, himself a former hitchhiker, said: "Drivers have given the practice the thumbs down.
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"Perhaps cheaper coach travel, growth in car ownership, online lift-sharing sites and safety fears have all contributed to its decline," he added.

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