Well.
To contribute, I've never hitchhiked myself, although I would if the situation called for it. I don't see a problem there, as I feel I could handle myself in most cases of physical dispute. If he pulled a gun, I'd be fucked but that's the risk you take hitchhiking.
My dad, on the other hand, has told me of his many hitchhiking adventures. Most notable, though, was the time in the early 70s when he and a friend hitched rides from Pittsburgh all the way down to Miami for a protest against President Nixon. When he got there, Carlos Santana ended up playing them all a free concert. Even better, on the way back a guy took him and his friend from Northern Florida back to Pittsburgh. =D
There's nowhere I can't reach.