Author: staff@jalopnik.com (Abigail Longstreth)

5visual/Shutterstock For the uninitiated, “wheelie” is a term that refers to lifting the front wheel of a motorbike off the bottom while riding (though the term applies to other vehicles too). A wheelie is officially recognized by Merriam-Webster, and the Urban Dictionary defines it as “the best trick ever.” But, despite those broad definitions, “wheelie” is not a really legally robust term, so determining the legality of pulling one, especially on the highway, requires a little bit of sleuthing. Generally speaking, doing a wheelie on public roads is unlawful within the U.S., but the precise legal codes that apply to wheelies…

Ilyas Kalimullin/Shutterstock When’s the last time you saw someone on the side of the road, thumb hoisted within the air, waiting for a ride from a stranger? The practice of hitchhiking has significantly declined since its heyday within the Nineteen Seventies, when teenage hippies bummed rides across the U.S. to spread peace, love, and cigarettes.  It may very well be the recent rise in true crime podcasts, the safety guarantees of third-party services like Uber and Lyft (which could themselves be shadier than they appear), the physical risks of stopping on the highway, or a bunch of other reasons which…