Hal's marriage was in trouble and he had some thinking to do. He planned on doing that during the time it would take him to drive from upper New York state to LA.
Alone with his thoughts.
Then he found himself with a passenger, a woman with troubles of her own. Fleeing an abusive monster set on bringing her back.
Hal wanted nothing to do with that and nothing to do with her.
She didn't realize the man she was fleeing wasn't the monster she had to fear most.