A Dearth of Research: Does anyone really know anything about hitch-hiking?

Little or no acceptable research has been done to produce realistic figures linking crime and hitchhiking, but a great deal of negative public opinion has been engendered by popular articles about murder and/or rape involving hitchhikers. (Tobin and Sexton, 1972, p. 1)

Like, Schlebecker, they were understating matters considerably. With the tools at hand today, and their own bibliography, it is abundantly evident that they meant “no research has been done to produce realistic figures linking crime and hitchhiking”.

It was not until 1974 that the California Highway Patrol would commission a study in that direction (Pudinski, 1974). This remains the only study on the matter in the United States to this day and one of only two such studies ever commissioned, anywhere![1]

Rinvolucri in 1974 tables an excellent history of British hitch-hiking, and was unable to find any earlier studies. Schlebecker and Rinvolucri remain the definitive voices on the history of hitch-hiking to this day!

In 1975 the Connecticut Committee to Study the Solicitation of Rides on Motor Vehicles reported wryly:

If the report appears to lack detailed information it is because very little valid research regarding hitchhiking has been done. (Connecticut Legislative Committee, 1975, p. 2)

While Dallmeyer, in the first serious effort to legitimise the practice found:

… hitchhiking is not usually considered a functional means of transportation in general reference works or transportation reference books. Popular publications tend to highlight the detrimental aspects of hitchhiking; spectacular highway crimes have been recounted to deter potential hitchhikers. A second type of popular literature has an opposite intent – this includes hitchhiking handbooks and articles that encourage hitchhiking … Neither of these types of popular articles were particularly useful to this study. (Dallmeyer et. al., 1975, p. 5)

A modicum of research would continue to appear in the 1970s, waning in the 1980s to a complete void of research in the 1990s.

When Grundstad was asked by the State of Oregon to report on the effect of hitch-hiking legislation in 1982, he had little of consequence to report:

… hitchhiking laws generally have been unevenly enforced, and there is very little information available regarding their effect. (Grundstad, 1982, p1)

By 1985 Franzoi was still noting the lack of objective research:

Most published information about hitchhikers has concerned personal accounts of journeys across the land by participants themselves. More recently, various writers
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