Back in the 1970s I hitched across the US about 3 times, over various routes, and all of Heren’s story rings true to me, especially the huge variety of drivers

Back in the 1970s I hitched across the US about 3 times, over various routes, and all of Heren’s story rings true to me, especially the huge variety of drivers willing to offer rides. About a third to a half of the people who picked me up remarked, in almost the same words, “I used to hitch when I was younger, but it feels too dangerous now” [<1980]. It was troubling to find, more recently, that my youthful sense of immortality had faded, leaving me saying the same words to younger people.