Hi. There is an issue that I noticed and would like to address. I drive around Lakewood a lot and I notice there are always boys hitchhiking for a ride on the side of the road.
Especially at nighttime, it is very scary as a driver when boys are standing at the end of the road or in the road when they cannot be seen, and then they see a car coming and they come further into the street. If they are going to do this please wear a reflector belt. There are barely any street lights on the roads and there are no sidewalks for a reason. I have came so close to hitting so many boys simply because I cannot see them in the road until I am very close to them. I do not want to end up in jail for something that would not have been my fault.
The roads are narrow, dark, and busy with cars and many of them were not made for pedestrians. I understand boys need rides, but if they are going to do this on a dark narrow road with no sidewalk, at LEAST wear something reflective; a reflective belt, helmet… etc.
Or even better, stay FAR off the road. Let’s keep both the pedestrians and drivers safe from an accident.
I hope this issue can be resolved. Please share with your sons, students, friends, family.
Thank you.
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Agree 1000%. I have stopped people walking in the street letting them know I did not see them and almost hit them. People thing their white shirt can be seen. It is NOT reflective and NOT seen. They show up as a shadow at best.
Hitching should be done in a safe way. Reflectors should ALWAYS be used when walking on dark roads.
How about they stay “Far off the road” like you recommended – on condition you pick them up? Better yet, why don’t you pick them up and let them know how you feel etc..
They go close to the cars so that the drivers should see them, so it’s catch-22. But everyone walking at night should wear a reflector.
and tell your kids that they MUST wear seat belts. when i picked up 4 hitch hikers last pesach, and they all got into my car, as soon as i said they must wear seat belts in my car, everyone of them walked out. it’s all well and good to give lifts to your sons, until chalilah there’s an accident
I find that very hard to believe, that 4 guys got one ride and gave it up because they didnt want to wear a seatbelt.
Upon reading the above plea, one Lakewood resident told reporters: “I’m sorry, but I can not fulfill the letter writer’s request to, ‘Stay FAR off the road’. For indeed, it wasn’t long ago when, unfortunately, I strayed far off the road and the true path. Luckily, a kiruv organization brought me back on to the path and the road – and on to the road of recovery. And I promised that I would never, ever, veer off that road and that path again. Hence, I can not, as you say, ‘Stay FAR off the road’, because I know what it means to stay, and to stray, far off the road and off the beaten path.
And if I’m turning a serious plea into leitzonus, that’s crazy, because I fully understand that your plea, and what you’re addressing, is a very serious issue, and a matter of life and death! Without question, your warnings and advice should be heeded, and should be passed on to the ride-seekers. In fact, you are humbly doing your best to resolve this issue without recommending more stringent and more cumbersome measures that perhaps need to be put in place. Yasher koach to you.
You were probably wearing a reflector – a spark of holiness could be discerned! Der pintele Yid!!!
I recently witnessed a car stop to pick up a hitchhiker. an LPD officer pulled up right behind them and announced on his loudspeaker: ”it is illegal to pick up a hitchhiker, it is illegal to pick up a hitchhiker!”.
Maybe it would be best if the police department would lecture the kids about the potential dangers of hitchhiking as well as mentioning that it is illegal.
seat belt. if he is in the road and you dont have a shoulder, if he stays on the sidewalk and you can pull over on the shoulder, perfectly legal.
NJ 39:4-5 look it up, hitchhiking is illegal. If you can’t pick up your boys arrange rides to keep them safe. I’ve seen too many of them darting in and out of traffic almost getting hit or when someone stops to pick them up holding up traffic and almost causing accidents. The law was written for a reason.
I looked it up. The statute is actually 39:4-59. “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 streetcar ” soliciting a ride from the sidewalk is not illegal. Drivers doing the chesed must pull over to the curb to avoid obstruction or delaying of traffic. Unfortunately there are roads, e.g. route 9, where stopping and standing are prohibited.
You forgot that the beginning states “Begging rides prohibited”. On top of that most intersections where these boys hitch have “no stopping or standing” signs which are roughly 50’ from the intersection. The fact is that in this day and age it is dangerous on too many levels for both the pedestrian and drivers. BTW, 40+ years isn’t impressive to someone who’s been here for 60+ years and family has roots here for close to 80 years now.
It is illigal to pick up any hitchhiker and I don’t want anyone in my vehicle anyway
So how do you drive your vehicle? Mr Bean style?
Just do a chesed and pick up some boys!!
The problem is that teen boys don’t have a driver’s perspective of the road. They assume that as long as they are ‘over the line’ then it’s safe.
Same issue with those wretched electric scooters, the kids using them don’t have a driver’s perspective of the road.