Hitchhiking In North Dakota: Is It Legal?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. When we need a ride, sometimes it might be necessary to hike up our skirts, show a little leg, and get a ride to where we're going.

Obviously, this is not a very safe thing to do. You might argue that it's not all too different from an Uber or Lyft ride, but to that, I say at least those services have protections in place. You know what car you're getting into, who the driver is, and they've presumably passed a background check with the company.

Hitchhiking has none of that, so it's pretty risky.

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Is It Legal?

Question of the day: are we allowed to do that? Is hitchhiking legal in North Dakota?

Should a person be allowed to stand alongside a road, looking for a ride? Should a driver be permitted to pick someone up in the car they own/pay for? When you think about it that way, it doesn't really seem like it should be illegal, does it?

According to North Dakota Century Code 39-10-34, "No person may stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride." Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's translate this further.

According to CalmerTravel.com, hitchhiking is legal as long as you are not impeding traffic. So, as the law is worded, it is legal as long as you are not standing or walking in the middle of the road.

The source put together a map listing the hitchhiking laws in each state. As it turns out, most states do allow hitchhiking, though there are a few where it is completely illegal.

States Where It IS Illegal

The source explained there are no federal laws banning hitchhiking, but there are restrictions.

Each state has the ability to create laws outlawing the practice. As of 2021 Delaware, Idaho, Nevada, New Jersey, and Utah have all made it illegal. I have to wonder why this is. Do these states feel it's too risky?