Transkrypcja

In the summer, hundreds of hitchhikers hit the road! Today we’re listening to four people talking about this way of travelling. 

I love hitchhiking and have been just about everywhere. It doesn’t matter if I just want to go to a nearby town to have a party or to hitch all over a foreign country. Hitching isn’t only the cheapest means of transport but also the most sociable one. I’m interested in meeting people from different social backgrounds. The friendly atmosphere in a car guarantees interesting conversations. I’ve travelled for years and I’ve fought to break down some of the prejudices people have against hitchhikers, though I’m amazed at frequent violations of basic safety rules among some hitchhikers. I’ve seen people hitchhiking along motorways! It is such conduct that creates a negative image of our kind.

Some people think hitchhiking is dangerous. Every now and then the newspapers print horror stories about people who disappeared hitchhiking or the embarrassing behaviour of some hitchhikers. But newspapers hardly ever choose happy stories. From my point of view, hitchhiking isn’t hazardous. You just have to stick to some safety rules. I always remind my children to wear their most valuable possessions on their body, especially their passport, wallet and mobile phone, and to call me regularly whenever they’re on the road. Hitchhiking gives them a chance to talk to people from all possible walks of life. I’m astonished at the variety of people you encounter when you hit the road. They are from all age groups and from all social and cultural environments.

Driving a lorry for hours along the highway can be tiresome, so nice company can be a big help to us, bored drivers. I genuinely appreciate having someone to talk to, it doesn’t matter whether it’s male or female. That’s why I always give hitchhikers a lift. Besides, I feel great when I can help someone. I’ve never seen carelessly stupid hitchhikers some people tell stories about. It really annoys me to hear such unjust comments about them. In my opinion, hitchhikers have good manners and are never rude.

The first problem with hitchhikers is that they sometimes obstruct traffic if they stand in the road trying to flag down a ride. As a policewoman, I haven’t noticed careless behaviour among those I’ve seen on the road because when they see the police they try to act according to the traffic rules. But I’ve heard many stories from truck drivers who pick up hitchhikers. When they tell me how some hitchhikers eat their sandwiches or ask them for coffee or money, I’m really shocked. It must be the reason why some drivers don’t judge them well.