America by the Thumb (2010)

Whatever happened to the free ride and the wide-open road? By interweaving a coast-to-coast hitchhiking trip with the never-before-told history of bumming rides, 'America by the Thumb' tells the whole quirky, sordid tale. The film shows a secret stash of archive materials, including a long-suppressed government study on the safety of hitchhiking. It explodes myths and uncovers surprising facts: for example, large numbers of women happily hitchhiked during the 1920s and 1940s. And it introduces an amazing cross-section of Americans on the road trip - from an acclaimed sculptor to a cop blasting ABBA, from teenage thrill-seekers to an obnoxious Oscar-winning filmmaker. 'Thumb' uses a subversive method of transportation and an anarchic history to take the pulse of America.