Don't accept lifts from strange men.

Imagine London in a complete white out, as a 19 year old I arrived at Paddington at midnight after standing up for 10 hours on a journey that should have taken four. Long story - the passengers of 2 trains crowded into one after one train broke down.

I had two large suitcases to carry and found that there were no taxis, buses or tubes running. With youthful confidence I decided to walk to South West London - Absolutely mad I know!! I had been walking for about half an hour in a blizzard and hadn’t seen a soul, when a man walking a dog appeared. He asked me where I was heading and took me back to his house, got his car out and took me home. I asked if I could pay him, but he refused, saying he had a young daughter about my age and he hoped someone would do the same for her in similar circumstances.

Many times over the years, I have thought of that night and how lucky I was in more ways than one. I would be beside myself if I thought any of my grandchildren would be so reckless, but that night I really had a guardian angel looking after me, but I would never advise anyone to take such a risk.

Lovely storyLexisgranny and what a pity we have to be wary of such kindness

Grantanow

Has society changed or is it that the media devote lots of coverage to a small number of events and so make us all anxious? I always walked to school on my own . Now most kids seem to be driven there. Has the risk actually changed?

Yes, I think the risk has changed Grantatow. Firstly, there are a billion (well a lot anyway!) more people now than in our youth. More people means more troubled people and more potential for trouble in general.

Secondly, there weren't drug addicts or people with severe mental health issues on the streets.

In the late 60's at age 13 I would happily wander around our city centre looking at the boutiques etc. These days it has become a threatening place with addicts, homeless sleeping on the pavements and obviously very ill people shouting abuse and sometimes confronting people.

It's a different world now. When I was 20 we hitched in Greece and the 2 men asked us out on a date. Mine took me up hills to view Athens at night.I got out of the car for a pee and when I got in he had stripped naked!
I laughed and he got dressed embarrassed. No harm done.

Theexwife
highly unlikely that a sex offender would be picking up an old woman with a trolly

It doesn't matter what age you are. I hate to say it but there are men who are sexually attracted to elderly women.

When I was in my teens and twenties - I had my share of unpleasant experiences with sex pests .
I certainly didn't expect it in my fifties , sixties and seventies , but it's happened to me several times .

Yes , even with my shopping trolley !

Esmay it may not be sexually based but more bullying violence towards and power over a vulnerable person. And as older people we will be regarded as vulnerable because we can't run fast or are short or maybe frail and couldn't fight back.

If it's flashing well I have been flashed at many stages of my life and I don't think age plays any part in it. Just flashing a female in an area where they are unlikely to be challenged is the trigger.

On each occasion , the guys weren't bullying me nor flashing - I know the difference !

It's happened with and without my shopping trolley so I don't think that I looked particularly elderly nor vulnerable .

They wanted sex and they said so in no uncertain terms !

And I regularly refuse a lift from my friend's husband , because he makes embarrassing passes at me and has done for a decade !
He wants me to run away to France with him and for us to become artists !

I'd have jumped in with gratitude.

Crikey Esmay where do you live?

Thank you for your responses. The man didn't smile when he spoke to me, he didn't come across as friendly. I had wondered if he thought I was someone else. It was pouring with rain so I had my hood up and head down.
I had taken some change so that I could get a taxi home but decided to walk.

When I was a teenager I would accept lifts from anyone. Nothing nasty ever happened but these days I wouldn’t dream of accepting a lift from anyone I didn’t know. I think in the 50 s and 60 s we were more innocent and naive and that explains the absolute horror when you heard about killers at that time .Now it seems to happen constantly. Knives , guns, machetes- house breakings, deliberate fires have become everyday occurrences. Sure we had gangs but on the whole they targeted their crime and wouldn’t attack a vulnerable person.

Also once in these modern cars they have central locking, so impossible to open your door if you did want to get out.

But I always feel sorry when I see older ladies stood in the cold at bus stops, I think that could be my mum, but then I know my mum would never have accepted lifts from strangers.

If you recognised someone as a neighbour and you saw them walking slowly with a stick into the estate where you both live would you stop and offer them a lift or whiz by?

This happened to me several times a few years ago. Then the woman ambushed me in the garden and asked me to accept a delivery she was expecting next day. It was an all day delivery slot and she was quite miffed when I told her that I would be having a nap in the afternoon so if the package had not come by say 2pm I would not hear a knock. She told me "its a pity you cant do a favour for a neighbour since your going to be in". I reminded her of all the times she had sped past me in her car when she knew where I lived and remarked that "favours go both ways".

HelterSkelter1 -
A place where we don't have fluoride in our water , but a natural source of Viagra !

Two of my friends run a very nice cafe and one of their customers spins out his coffee time into two hours of non - stop sex talk .
They are at least 30 years younger than him and find it really tedious .
Last time , he found me diverting ! It took me by surprise .
There won't be a next time .
In my view , he's one of many men who isn't dealing with the male menopause well and is trying too hard .

Esmay

On each occasion , the guys weren't bullying me nor flashing - I know the difference !

It's happened with and without my shopping trolley so I don't think that I looked particularly elderly nor vulnerable .

They wanted sex and they said so in no uncertain terms !

And I regularly refuse a lift from my friend's husband , because he makes embarrassing passes at me and has done for a decade !
He wants me to run away to France with him and for us to become artists !

I think the idea of going to France to become artists is very appealing..pity he's married and you don't fancy him though!!

pascal30

Esmay

On each occasion , the guys weren't bullying me nor flashing - I know the difference !

It's happened with and without my shopping trolley so I don't think that I looked particularly elderly nor vulnerable .

They wanted sex and they said so in no uncertain terms !

And I regularly refuse a lift from my friend's husband , because he makes embarrassing passes at me and has done for a decade !
He wants me to run away to France with him and for us to become artists !

I think the idea of going to France to become artists is very appealing..pity he's married and you don't fancy him though!!

If he has been doing it for a decade I suspect he never expects you to say "yes" perhaps you should, if only to see his reaction.

Never accept a lift from any person or people you don't know.
Fred West used to take Rose out and about looking for victims, knowing they would feel safer that it was a couple, and not just a lecherous man.

My friend's husband is a total creep .
I don't fancy him .
Before I met him , my friend told me that he has never been faithful to her or at least- he wasn't when younger .

She also said , I'm sorry if he's rude to you usually when friends come round he storms off upstairs .

Instead , he settles down with us and joins in our chat only too pleased to make tea or open a bottle of wine !

I wouldn't risk saying yes to him !

He sounds a real catch
🙂

Nowadays I wouldn't accept a lift if the person was unknown to me.
Years ago when in my 20s I had an appointment in Edinburgh. As my boyfriend and I had quite often hitch-hiked around Scotland, I stopped to offer two girls a lift to the city centre.

When they got in and thanked me for stopping, I realised despite their long hair, they were men!!
Thank goodness they were friendly and no problem. But that was the last time I offered a lift!

I spent a great deal of my adult life in Safeguarding so I think I’m more aware than most of the dangers that can lurk for the unwary. Yet, I have (and still would) accepted lifts from strangers - and those who know me on here are aware that I have also taken complete strangers into my home on many occasions, but in either case I always calculate the risks. Only once in fifty years have I misjudged a situation, and even then I handled it with no harm done.

Funnily enough my family think of me as being risk averse!! 😂

Not at all odd, just very wise. Something taught ‘don’t accept lifts from strangers’!
No matter what your age there are just as many weirdos out there!
You got home wet but safe!
He might have been a genuine Good Samaritan but the risk is just not worth taking. Which is sad as it’s always been that way for us women,😢😡

So sad that we're all mostly of the same mind and would not accept a lift from a stranger. We only hear about the bad news and very probably the person offering the lift was just being helpful and considerate but nowadays we all have to be careful.

I used to live in the Caribbean and it was very common to offer lifts to hitchhikers and people on the road. I often did it but it was a small community. I don think I would offer it accept a lift now.