'Honey, my car broke down...'

Oh come on. We doubt any excuse for anything has been as blatantly overused as this one. Even if you really did get a flat tyre or suffer from an overheated engine, make sure to take advantage of the technology of today. Call your girlfriend right then and there, make sure she can hear the blaring traffic on the road and get her to speak to the mechanic if she can. 

This may sound a tad overzealous but trust us, if you don't, she's immediately going to be convinced you're sleeping with another woman in the backseat of your car.