There’s an application on Facebook that helps you find a ride or people to take with you on your drive, and there are (surprisingly) enough users on it to make it useful. Today there were 14,000+ daily active users, and more than a couple of rides being offered to and from my home town.

The application allows you to post carpools and to search through rides being offered. You can set basic contact info and a price. It can be used to find one-time rides or daily commutes.

I like this application a lot. It’s nice to see a very simple application with a practical use and a user base. It’s a good way to find a lift, it’s a good way to find passengers, and it’s good for the environment.

People should, of course, be very careful when taking rides with strangers. If you fancy yourself old enough and wise enough to select someone who you don’t already know to take a ride from, be sure that you add them as a friend first and make sure you still trust them after seeing their full profile. For some it might be best to stick to people with some shared contacts.

Look for someone who knows a lot of people, and who interacts with them often, and make sure somebody who cares about you knows who you’re traveling with. Don’t go anywhere with anybody who you aren’t 100% comfortable with. Safety first, right?

- Jonathan Kleiman is the founder of the Canadian Professional Network Probook, and the Legal Intellects Law Blog