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Often, particularly close to major cities, the [[police]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be polite when you come up clean, and not too rarely they'll give you a lift out of their area to get rid of you.
In most The only nationwide law (Code of Federal Regulations) that prohibits hitchhiking is 36 CFR 4.31 which states there are that hitchhiking is illegal on any property under jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior: National Park Service. This includes but is not limited to National Parks, National Scenic Byways, and National Recreation Areas. This law is often amended at the discretion of each park. Check with the park's respective state article for information on which ones allow it. Most states have [[laws]] against hitchhiking that are possible to be circumvented. Most often, the laws state that the hitchhiker may not "solicit a ride" "on a roadway". Most states define The word roadway is typically defined in state statute books as "exclusive of a shoulder", making these statutes easy to circumvent. If the police pass you walking or sitting by the side of the road without soliciting in any way, they may still stop to check IDs but you are not required to identify yourself except if there is any way that you could have done something unlawful. As a result, the best method is to not use a sign or thumb whenever an oncoming car looks like a police cruiser.
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If you are only going a few hundred miles, you can often make better time on state or local roads. There are many more places to wait at, and there is much more potential traffic. Most of the traffic on the Interstate system won't be able to notice you while on the on-ramp. Even if you are going long distances, if you aren't concerned about making good time then getting off the interstates can be a very rewarding experience. Local highways and smaller roads will grant you a better picture of what local life is like in that area, and typically offer a greater variety of drivers.
== Police /Laws ==
[[File:USHHlaws.jpg|thumb|350px|''Overview over hitchhiking laws by state''.<br> White: Hitchhiking is legal on the shoulder of any road including freeways.<br> Blue: Hitchhiking legal on the shoulder of any road except freeways.<br> Green: Hitchhiking legal while off the paved surface of any road except freeways.<br> Yellow: Particular laws, read up in the respective state article.<br> Red: Hitchhiking is technically illegal; more information in the respective state article.]]
Even in states where hitchhiking is illegal, the law is rarely enforced. Wyoming Highway Patrol reports that in 2010 (most recent year with available statistics) they approached 524 hitchhikers but only cited eight of them.
Often, particularly close to major cities, the [[police]] will ask you for photo ID, but as long as you have one with you (such as a passport) there shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time they will be polite when you come up clean, and not too rarely they'll give you a lift out of their area to get rid of you.
Especially in smaller towns and in the countryside, the officer stopping you is likely to never have seen a passport before. If that's your form of ID, bear with the delay caused, help the poor guy out by point out which is your name and your birth date and enjoy the confusion and the hilarious misconceptions that arise.
