If you’re a fan of Valentine’s Day, you might be happy to know about an extension to this holiday. The third week in February — this week — is known as International Flirting Week. Though flirting might seem like a harmless endeavor, when combined with driving, this pastime can prove dangerous. Here are some interesting stats about the FWD (Flirting While Driving) phenomenon, as well as some strategies for avoiding this hazardous habit to help everyone stay safer on the road.
FWD Stats
Emily Patz with Esurance shares the results of a survey, which indicated that 41 percent of drivers admit to flirting with other drivers instead of focusing on safe driving behaviors. Fifteen percent of this group also confessed that they’d had a near-accident due to FWD. Additionally, more men than women tend to participate in FWD (half of the men surveyed, compared to only one-third of the women surveyed).
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Here are some great ways to help refocus your attention on the road ahead — instead of on the alluring driver that catches your eye the next time you’re out for a drive.
- Save flirting for safe (non-driving) contexts. Taking up a new hobby or trying a new class is a great way to find a potential date. You could also try a speed-dating event near you, or try your luck at online dating.
- Avoid texting while driving. Maybe you’ve already met a potential partner or are happily dating or married. It can be just as tempting to flirt with this person as it is for someone to flirt with another driver. Consider using an app that silences text messages when you’re traveling. That way you can focus on the road and save flirty texts for later.
- Ditch the headphones. If you’re a musician or music enthusiast, one way you might flirt with someone is to share new songs with them to impress them. You might test out new songs while driving to find just the right one to send your love interest. Make sure to avoid using headphones while behind the wheel, though, to help minimize the distraction.
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News Sources: Esurance Insurance Services, Inc., Holiday Insights
Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting her cute nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, reorganizing and/or decorating some corner of the world, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie, poem, or short story. See more articles by Whitney.
