Dear Click and Clack,

To the babe in traffic I would say: "You're the only thing about this traffic worth smiling about! Got a cell phone? I'd love to chat with you!" (And then just hope that she smiles back and gives out her cell phone number.)

Speaking of which...this exact situation was the inspiration for a patent of mine, due to be issued this summer.

The device, called an "Inter-Vehicle Personal Data Communications Device," was designed in an attempt to enable single guys such as myself to meet their 'dream woman' on the highway.

The device is actually a line-of-sight wireless terminal for voice or data, similar to a cell phone. Assuming that all vehicles are equipped with the device, you can access that 'Highway Babe of Your Dreams' simply by keying in the license plate number of her automobile. Each device contains an identical look-up table that enables it to determine the frequency channel, encryption key and all other communications parameters required to establish that vital 'love connection.'

I thought of the idea after my friend Dave told me of a cross-country road trip he made several summers ago to the Grand Canyon...and of the 'Highway Babes' he and his college buddies met along the way simply by holding up paper messages to the side windows of their Dodge Dart. Such a primitive approach! I figured that there had to be a more sophisticated technology solution to this romance problem.

Anyway, neither Dave nor I have successfully landed a 'Highway Angel,' so we're still interested in that perfect line, too!

Thanks for your Car Talk program on this topic--it still gives guys like us hope.

Sincerely,

Phil Alajajian

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