One of our readers stated he was pulled over on Thursday for giving a ride to a Yeshiva Bochur. The driver says he was issued a summons for Obstructing Traffic.
As reported in the past, police do sometimes issue summonses for improperly picking up hitchhikers, as they can pose a danger to motorists and pedestrians alike.
However, the statue (title :39) provides that hitchhikers would need to be in the roadway in order to be in violation of the law. Standing on the sidewalk or on the curb is permitted, and it’s permitted for drivers to pull off the road to pick up a passenger, according to police. Remaining in the roadway would be in violation of the law.
[TLS]
Not true. Law enforcement says hitchhiking is illegal under any circumstances in the state of New Jersey
Another point:
If you are hitchhiking, make sure you are in an area where cars can actually legally pick you up. Don’t wait at …. Central and Rt 9, for example and any other such roadways. And don’t wait right after the intersection where cars turn in and then have to shortstop suddenly because someone is illegally picking up a pedestrian. Just keep in mind, while you may be on the curb and technically not in violation, if there is no safe and legal way for a ride to pick you up then please don’t wait there.
Very good point. Just it could be that those waiting at Central & Rt. 9 are going over to cars when then are waiting for the red. But to wait on Central in the areas that the shoulder is narrow, is no good; there are plenty of areas that it is wide.
What part of hitchhiking is not only dangerous but illegal dont people get??
To TLS: Your interpretation of the statue is incorrect. You should check with the LPD before giving out incorrect information. The statue is as follows:
39:4-59.”Begging Rides Prohibited”
“No person shall stand in a highway for the purpose of or while soliciting a ride from the operator of any vehicle other than an omnibus or a street car.”
It does not provide for hitching off the highway.
New Jersey
Code 39:4-59 Begging rides prohibited
No person shall stand in a highway for the purpose of or while soliciting a ride from the operator of any vehicle other than an omnibus or a street car.
We have laws for a reason. Please respect them.
To number 4, actually TLS is correct, and so says an LPD officer I spoke to. You MAY stand off the road and pull off the road to give someone a ride. You’re just not allowed to stop IN the roadway.
To Incorrect,
Title 39:1-1 describes the terms used in this section.
To quote (among other terms):
“Highway” means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
That means all applicable roadways accordingly, not just a highway in the traditional sense of the word.
Baruch Hashem!
It’s about time LPD got serious about this. In their haste to do chessed, drivers constantly obstruct traffic which inconveniences others, often endangers others, leads to chillul Hashem, etc. It is a classic mitzvah habaa baveira and it is yotza scoro bhefsedo.
Aside from that, groups of bochrim standing on a street corner hitching rides is a crude display of hefkerus, it is not in the spirit of Maan malki rabannan. The lack of a plan for how to get to or back from yeshiva shows a lack of chashivus for yeshiva and is a terrible way for us to be training our future rabbinim and roshei yeshiva.
Hitchhiker get killed in Israel
For safety of our students it not good
The Cop told me on Thursday that it is illegal to pick up hitchhikers even if they stand on the side of the road. Is this true or not?
He told me he was being nice by not giving me a ticket for picking up a hitchhiker.
So do I have to be afraid of getting a ticket even if I pull over to the side of the road. I used to give rides all the time and now I feel bad driving by without stopping
I used to be one of the lone voices against hitchhiking. People used to argue with me about how I was exaggerating and how I was trying to prevent people from performing a chessed. I am so happy to see the above posts. I don’t have to add anything as it seems my one time minority views have become more mainstream. Hitching is terrible forall the above reasons DONT DO IT!
just trying to figure out howd you feel if your bus doesnt show up or u gotta get somewhere in 30 degree weather and noone stops for you. you can say ur lazy and you dont want to pick anyone up but dangerous?!?!
To ‘think about others’,
You miss the point. It’s all about safety. If it can be done safely and within the law then by all means do your chesed and pick up hitchhikers if you wish. If not, stay safe and follow the law. Yes, it’s dangerous. Drivers have short stopped in front of me, pulled in and out suddenly without blinking, blocked traffic, stopped just beyond the intersection causing all those making a left or right turn to short stop and block the intersection in the way of oncoming traffic etc etc. It’s immature to complsin that you can’t find a ride. Would you drive down Rt 9 into incoming traffic to avoid rush hour, after all do you have any idea how it feels to sit in traffic?
where are the parents of these boys who are hitching? It seems to me that once the boys turn a certain age they just have the attitude they are old enough to get around on their own. Yes, that is true but NOT to hitch. I think that the yesivas should have a responsibility to the boys:because it seems that most of the hitching is done on the way home. Its not just bochrim we see alot of men doing it too. this is not the sort of example that they should be giving their kids. IF they are doing it already {of course its still NOT safe} at least wear a reflector: there is always a choice in any matter.3
raboisai.
in your haste to do a chesed for the hitchhikers, you are causing all the cars behind you to wait while you pick him up. why is it considered a chesed when its done for one person at the expense of many people? not to mention the chilul hashem this causes when people see it and say negative things about the people involved. no “chesed” is worth a chilul hashem.
jbw i agree that drivers and hitchers shouldnt stop/hitch in unsafe places i was just trying to figure out why someone would be all out anti hitching