1930s; earliest use found in The Los Angeles Times. From French autostop hitch-hiking from auto car + either stop (interjection) ‘stop!’ or stop (noun) brake light.
Definition of autostop in US English:
autostop
nounˈɔːtəʊˌstɒp
Especially in French contexts: hitch-hiking.
Origin
1930s; earliest use found in The Los Angeles Times. From French autostop hitch-hiking from auto car + either stop (interjection) ‘stop!’ or stop (noun) brake light.