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I hear some crazy stories where young hitchhikers get abducted and even murdered by killers who prey on young hitchhikers. Are the odds of such bad incidents high?
Is hitchhiking in western Europe safer (less risk of getting abducted) if you're travelling with at least one other person?
Is it safe? Safe is a broad word, and nobody can be absolutely certain about safety. You'd consider driving or taking a plane 'safe', presumably, but crashes happen sometimes too. It's relative.
So now that we establish that, we can look at hitchhiking. Is it safe? Depends on who sees you, who picks you up, and how you react.
We actually have a post on this site on ensuring safety while hitchhiking (although really, you can't ensure it, you can only increase the odds of being safe). That may be worth a read to you.
Generally, yes, travelling in numbers increases your odds of safety. You have someone else to make a decision with, and if you get into trouble, your numbers are boosted.
There's a wiki for hitching called Hitchwiki. I definitely suggest looking at that for how to hitchhike in the countries you're aiming at.
I've hitched in a few Western European countries, and had zero problems. Most drivers just want someone to talk to on the journey, and I've still got some of them on Facebook. However, my experience is just anecdotal, much like the 'people you know' stories you mentioned, and in the end you'll have to weigh up the small risk with the rewards and decide if it's for you or not.
Note: Hitchwiki actually has a page about safety while hitching.
I have hitchhiked all over Europe, including boats and empty leg flights, on multiple trips. My own experience is generally positive and I see staying in cheap hotels as a far greater danger than hitchhiking.
It can be dangerous sleeping in an unlit or unattended rest area. And depending upon your definition of 'danger', standing upon the Autobahn or any road with "E" status will get you arrested (or harshly warned as a minimum). I would not recommend hitching a ride across the English Channel into the UK; the Border Force will not like it and they are very likely to detain a hitchhiker on failing to meet Paragraph 41 of the immigration rules (securing an onward journey).
Also if you are hitching a ride across Skagerrak with a trucker, it can get bloody cold, even in the summer. So there's a tangible danger of ill effects from exposure and ruining part of your trip.
Hitchhiking anywhere near Sangatte France can be dangerous, arguably the most dangerous spot in Northern Europe. After that I would rank Rostock Germany as the second most dangerous for hitchhikers. And in third place I would put the whole A1 between Naples and Rome as a particularly unsafe place to hitchhike. It's strictly opinion though, I expect there would be a wide variance in opinions.
Beyond the concerns I have identified above, I see no reason to be worried about the safety of hitchhiking. All natural caveats about reasonableness and diligence apply here.
I always hitched alone and so have no experience on the benefit of having a partner. I suspect it makes things worse because it limits the number of people who have room for two people, but that's only a guess.
Yes, I think you can consider it safer if you're travelling with another person but I assume it's always safer to hitchhike with someone else. It's probably also harder to find people who will pick you up when you're not alone though.
As to whether Western Europe is a particularly dangerous place to hitchhike, I would say in my experience no, at least not in comparison to other regions. Newspaper reports will always give a biaised view (they only report on the bad stuff).
If you're looking for some statistics about the safety of hitchhiking, take a look at this article (which is specifically about hitchhiking in the US but it's still relevant): https://wandrlymagazine.com/article/hitchhiking/ Those statistics, might give you some ideas about how to minimise risk. I like his conclusion:
As with any activity, use your brain. Hitchhike during the day, especially the early morning. If you’re a woman, try and take lifts from other women. You’re under no obligation to accept a ride from someone you don’t feel comfortable with.
Anecdotally, I've never, ever had a problem hitchhiking. But unfortunately I do know someone (a woman) who was very seriously assaulted while hitchhiking.
Having said all that, if you're asking this question, safety is obviously something that concerns you, so why not consider another means of transport (bus/coach and rail are generally very good in Western Europe and not too expensive but obviously not free). If you want to travel by car, maybe even consider a ride-sharing site, such as https://www.blablacar.com.
Hope that helps and have an enjoyable and safe trip!
Hitch hiking, while not dangerous in most cases, can not be called safe as there is the risk of a crazy driver. And while two people are less likely to suffer from one of those than one person alone, there is still the risk.
I would only suggest to hitch hike in Europe if you would also hitch hike at home. Hitch hiking is a special way of traveling, not the best way to see a continent as a tourist but if you hitch hike at home you know that.
Abductions are not that likely, the most dangerous risks I have heard are rape, stealing all your belongings when the car leaves and when traveling with two, one of you already out of the car while the other is still in the car to face rapine alone. And not just girls, nice looking young guys were/are in risk of rapine as well.
I have never hitch hiked but I met plenty of people who do and also used to know people offering rides as matter of fact. Most of those do not do it any more as hitch hikers are rare in our area these days.
In addition to the excellent info here, I would add that abduction is the least likely scenario, considering hitchhikers are generally broke. It would be a bad investment to kidnap a hitchhiker: obviously, they don't have a ton of money.
As for rapes and muggings, the threat always exists, hitching or not. Nobody really knows if hitching is more dangerous than taking a bus, or walking down the street. As this study reports:
No independent information exists about hitchhikers who are not involved in crimes. Without such information, it is not possible to conclude whether or not hitchhikers are exposed to high danger. However, the results of this study do not show that hitchhikers are over represented in crimes or accidents beyond their numbers. When considering statistics for all crimes and accidents in California, it appears that hitchhikers make a minor contribution.
