Yea, mainly on highway on-ramps, but I've walked down roads for miles doing the thumb out. I'd say hitchin is generally safe if you got common sense. If they seem sketchy, just make up an excuse to reject the ride, and always carry protection. As for stories, I got a couple, but my favorite one recently was I got a ride on he back of a motorcyle. As we were mobbing down the highway, the dude just handed me a breadstick from his coat pocket. Its the weird comical things that stick out. Most people just enjoy helping someone out and having conversation for their journey.