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United States of America

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The only nationwide law (Code of Federal Regulations) that prohibits hitchhiking is 36 CFR 4.31 which states 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". 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.
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.
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.
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.

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