development In Austria, Mitfahrbänke are especially common in Lower Austria and Tyrol, and are promoted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism under its klimaaktiv climate protection initiative. In 2018 the Tyrolean MobilitäterInnen network published a Manual for the Successful Introduction of Hitch-hiking Benches. Safety Limited data is available regarding the safety of hitchhiking. Compiling good safety data requires counting hitchhikers, counting rides, and counting problems: a difficult task. Two studies on the topic include a 1974 California Highway Patrol study and a 1989 German federal police (Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden) study . The California study found that hitchhikers were not disproportionately likely to be victims of crime. The German study concluded that the actual risk is much lower than the publicly perceived risk; the authors did not advise against hitchhiking in general. They found that in some cases there were verbal disputes or inappropriate comments, but physical attacks were very rare. Recommended safety practices include: Asking for rides at gas stations instead of signaling at the roadside Refusing rides from alcohol impaired drivers Hitchhiking during daylight hours Trusting one's instincts Traveling with another hitchhiker; this measure decreases the likelihood of harm by a factor of six Around the world Cuba In Cuba, picking up hitchhikers is mandatory for government vehicles, if passenger space is available. Hitchhiking is encouraged, as Cuba has few cars, and hitchhikers use designated spots. Drivers pick up waiting riders on a first come, first served basis. Israel In Israel, hitchhiking is commonplace at designated locations called ( in Hebrew, derived from the German ). Travelers soliciting rides, called , wait at , typically junctions of highways or main roads outside of a city. Lithuania Hitchhiking in Lithuania is no longer as common as it used to be, but there are still people soliciting rides, more so in the summer. It is legal to hitchhike in Lithuania, and the country is unique in Europe in that it is actually legal to hitchhike on the emergency lane of motorways. Nepal In Nepal, hitchhiking is very common in rural areas. Many do not own cars so hitchhiking is a common practice especially in and around villages. Netherlands In the Netherlands, hitchhiking is legal and un-official signs indicate where one may wait for a ride. These designated hitchhiking locations are called liftershalte or liftplaats in Dutch, and they are particularly common in university towns. Poland Hitchhiking in Poland has