People will tolerate an average of 51 minutes of a bad date before making their excuses to leave, according to research.
The study of 2,000 adults who have ever dated also found it takes just 25 minutes to notice a spark, or lack of it.
As for dates which have a bad vibe from the planning stages, a mismatch will typically be cancelled 19 hours in advance of the event.
The top excuses given to get out of a date include an emergency at work, unwell relatives and a broken-down car.
While the number one go-to for avoiding a meeting with someone is claiming they don’t feel well.
The research was commissioned by breakdown provider, Britannia Rescue, part of LV= General Insurance, which has joined forces with TV personality Denise Van Outen to set up a ‘Dateside Rescue Hotline’, generating excuses to help people make a swift exit from a boring date.
Denise Van Outen said: “Over the years I’ve certainly been on my fair share of bad dates.
“We all know there’s nothing worse than when you just don’t click with someone, and desperately want to be rescued.
“I had a lot of fun coming up with the excuses for this one and hope the hotline goes a little way to help elevate the pain of bad dates this February.”
The study found 44 per cent of those polled have used an excuse to get out of going on a date altogether, while a fifth have left halfway through.
Other reasons included work deadlines, friends or family showing up unannounced and being stuck in traffic.
Of those who have left mid-date, popular tactics to ‘escape’ were friends phoning with a fake emergency, claiming to have a headache and even saying their pet is ill.
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