Today's News by Jack Nerad for Driving Today

Flirt in Your Car

Friday, March 19, 2010

As you have driven the highways and byways of this great country of ours, you have undoubtedly noticed someone that you think you might like to get to know.

Up until now, accomplishing this task has been fraught with difficulties -- including the stalking legislation in place in most states. 

Now, though, QuickCarFlirting aims to drastically alter the singles scene by turning traffic jams into romantic opportunities. The new effort is designed to help drivers who spot attractive potential dates and mates connect with them in a safe environment.

The company was created by Sharanne Pearson, a Chicago commuter who spends a fair share of her time behind the wheel. A good driver and a self-described good listener, she heard many of her friends say that they wished there were an easy way to contact fellow drivers to date them.

“They said they wanted to take the ‘express lane’ to contacting people rather than taking a roundabout route with profile-based matchmaking sites like eHarmony, SinglesNet and Match.com to connect,” said Pearson. “Their comments inspired me to launch this site.”    

An international survey by Yahoo! Autos found that 62 percent of American drivers flirt when they’re behind the wheel. In fact, so many drivers try to interact with members of the opposite sex while they’re on the road that the terms like ‘freeway flirt’ and ‘roadway Romeo’ have become popular slang expressions. Next to Americans, Germans are most inclined to flirt while driving (41 percent) -- and surprisingly, Italian respondents are the least flirtatious behind the wheel (18 percent). A study commissioned by U.K. auto manufacturer Vauxhall found that nearly half of all motorists openly flirt with the opposite sex while on the road.

“The research showed that nearly a million of those drivers exchanged phone numbers,” reports Pearson. “And more than 150,000 drivers met their future husbands and wives through freeway flirting.”

QuickCarFlirting members upload vehicle information, including make and model, as well as their location and license plate number. Members can also upload a photo to provide additional recall for someone who seeks them out, but a driver’s personal information is not on display.

“I know many people who see someone attractive, roll down their windows, wave and even pull off the road to flirt, and that can be dangerous,” said Pearson. “But now, thanks to our site, all you need to do is quickly take note of someone’s license plate. Then, when your car is safely parked, you can follow up.”

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