Originally Posted by
alan s
You can usually find someone who will give you a lift in the event of a serious breakdown, so don't sweat it too much.
I have hitched a ride a few times and been with other riders who did several other times. In all if that I think the longest wait for a ride was about 20 minutes, including a location where there was only one car every 20 minutes or so. The more remote the place the more likely that any given car will stop. Way out in the desert most folks will stop. In less remote fewer folks will stop, but there is more traffic.