By Deborah Skousen
Ben stopped at a red light.
Drumming his fingertips on the steering wheel, he turned his head and noticed the attractive blonde in a Jaguar V12 next to him. With windows down, he took a deep breath and leaned over. ?So that?s the V12, how fast does it go?? As she leaned over to comment, to Ben?s dismay the light changed from red to green, and after a quick response the V12 and its blonde driver drove out of Ben?s life forever.
Today?s fast-paced society means everything happens on the go, from eating a breakfast bar on the way to school, talking on a cell phone while driving or applying mascara in the rearview mirror. Now with the help of flirtingintraffic.com, busy singles can find true love without even stopping for gas.
After his experience with the woman in the Jaguar, Ben Philips launched a Web site to help turn chance encounters into prospects for real love. The site was launched only three weeks ago, but already has more than 12,000 members.
Visitors to the site are encouraged to upload a current headshot and biography. Once this process is complete, a ?flirt? will receive an ID sticker in the mail to put on the bumper of his or her car. When other ?flirts? see a potential love interest on the road, they can log on to the Web site and type in the sticker number to learn more information about that person.
?In all honesty, I think this will change the way people will meet across the country,? Philips said. ?It makes meeting people that much easier.?
Currently, membership stickers and access to the site are free. However, Philips said he might initiate a nominal fee at the end of March to help with material costs.
And for those who don?t drive, Philips said that is no problem. He said people can put the sticker on their purse, book bag or briefcase and achieve the same results.
?It helps to remove the fear of rejection,? Philips said. ?If in a group of friends or group of strangers, most people won?t take it one step further to ask for a number, but they always regret it.?
Ilyse Shapiro, the Web site?s publicist, said although most non-traditional dating services have their downsides, flirtingintraffic.com is different because you have already seen the person you are talking to.
?With a lot of these dating sites, you don?t know if prospects are married or already in relationships,? Shapiro said. ?But people aren?t going to put stickers on their car if they are married or in relationships.?
In a few weeks, Philips plans to launch another website, flirtingoncampus.com. It will have the same premise but will be targeted towards college students.
?My goal is to get as many free-floating IDs out there that I can,? Philips said. ?ID stickers let other people know that you are single or at least willing to consider offers.?
(For comments, e-mail Christa Hunter at )
