I have hitch hiked a couple of times.  Have you ever been hitchhiking?
I like asking strangers for a ride.
When did hitchhiking become commonplace?
I do not know, but I prefer the free rides vs the non free rides.
I agree with that!  Do you think it is dangerous to hitchhike in the present day?
As long as you use the proper hand signals you should be ok.
What are the proper hand signals?
You just extend your arm toward the road and stick your thump upward.
Oh yeah!  I know that one!  Is there any other etiquette that I should be aware of?
who usually sought to travel long distances, distances too far to walk in a reasonable amount of time—was that the driver's destinations were located nearby—and of little use to the hitchhiker—by pointing at the ground for a few seconds.
Legal status.
Hitchhiking is a historically common (autonomous) practice worldwide and hence there are very few places in the world where laws exist to restrict it. However, a minority of countries have laws that restrict hitchhiking at certain locations. In the United States,
motion for free speech on BBC2's "Newsnight", when the Oxford Union invited right-wing figures David Irving and Nick Griffin to speak: "When you say that the majority view is always right I think that is a deeply dangerous and disturbing thing to say. I am not for a moment saying that I agree with David Irving or Nick Griffin but I am saying that once you start having truth by democracy you risk silencing some of the most important prophets we have ever had."
In September 2008,