Respectable people won't pick you up," explained Stepehn C. Graham, a graduate student at Columbia University who says drunk drivers are the greatest hazard faced by male hitchhikers.

Like other hitchhikers interviewed, Graham is careful about whose front seat he climbs into and follows a pat formula in rejecting offers from those who do not pass his instant appraisal. I ask them where they're going, and no matter where they're going, and no matter what they say I tell them I'm going the other way he said.

Men also have to be wary of homosexual advances, which are rarely violent but a great annoyance to hitchhikers such as Dan Holland. Recently Holland complained that he had been picked up and promptly put out of the vehicle by a succession of nine homosexuals between West Palm Beach and Miami. "I'm not exaggerating, he insisted, "it was heavy.

The threat presented by sexual predators is considered much greater for women, many of whom hitch with friends since a woman alone offers an inviting target for cruising rapists.

The problem has come to the attention of some elements of the women's movement, and policemen in California say they've seen bumper stickers urging, “Give a sister a ride.” But so far, hitchhikers of both sexes report, women drivers will rarely stop for anyone.

Despite the dangers, or perhaps because they heighten the sense of adventure, many young women do hitchhike alone, often getting rides quicker than their male counterparts.