The Institute for Economics and Peace recently released the Global Peace Index ranking the United States as the 88th safest place to live in the world. The Institute ranked the countries’ safety based on numerous factors, such as homicides, violent crimes, police actions, and terrorist activity. Based on this list, the United States is considered as a fairly safe country to live in. Many people believe the United States is safe because it is a society that has rules, regulations, and authorities structures that keeps order in place. For example, there are laws against murder and a police force that arrests people who don’t follow these laws. In addition, many people perceive Americans as friendly, generous, and hardworking. However, there is a lot of crime and violence that happens in the United States that people are not aware of. A total of 1,163,146 violent crimes occurred nationwide in 2013 yet only a small percentage of these crimes were reported or talked about. Many of the unheard crimes and violence often happen to people who have no social or economic powers, such as teenage runaways. In "Highway of Lost Girls," by Vanessa Veselka, the narrator experiences difficulties with sexual harassment, law enforcements, and society while living on the highway. Her experiences change how we view strangers, law institutions, and society, making us more afraid and less trusting.
Most people like to see the good in people and believe that everyone is nice. “That first ride was a preview of how it would often go for me with truckers–dodging sex and getting stranded–but I had learned one crucial lesson: When a truck slows down, you get up” (Veselka 12.) The narrator is a teenage runaway who hitchhiked around the country with long-haul truck drivers. She experienced sexual harassments frequently by truck drivers. Some truck drivers molested her and some left her stranded in the middle of nowhere because she would not consent to se...