Feeling guilty in my empty car

I know that it is dangerous and ‘frowned’ upon (by taxi operators) for private individuals to pick up hitch hikers but as I drive home from work in the evenings, in a passenger-less car, I often feel guilty when seeing so many people standing at the side of the road desperate to get home after a long day’s work.
Do they all get home or at some time do they give up trying and go to a friend’s home for the evening? If it were me, my stomach would be in a continuous nervous state as to whether I would get a lift or not!
On the odd occasion, I have stopped to offer lifts to individuals. Some have gratefully accepted but others have declined as their final destination is further than mine and they have no wish to try again for another lift.
This ‘mlungu’ also doesn’t know their destination hand signals and wondered if your newspaper would print an article about such? For example, standing on the southern side of the freeway with one finger up means the person wants to go to Tongaat; standing on the northern side of the freeway with one finger up means the person wants to go to Stanger. I wonder if there are more? What if a person wants to go to Salt Rock, Durban or further afield?
Could be an interesting article!
BRIONY WHITEHEAD
Tinley Manor
Snap! Just last week we published an article on our website on the subject of hand signals for taxis (search on the site for ‘hand signals’). We will put it in the paper this week. Meanwhile, here’s the signal for Salt Rock – Editor.