<p>barrons, you said “All our friends were once strangers”…while that may be true, I didn’t meet them for the first time in a car, by myself, for an extended drive.</p>
<p>And if you think “unwarranted levels of fear about “strangers” has really become overblown” then perhaps you haven’t read the newspaper lately. </p>
<p>We’re not talking about a girl getting a ride with another girl. Or a boy riding with a boy. And yes, for ME that makes a difference. And yes, I’d still be anxious if the “stranger” was of the same sex.</p>
<p>Call me “paranoid” I prefer to err on the side of safety.</p>