Tired of getting stuck in traffic?

No, you can't actually lift off from highways but at least if you're driving the Terrafugia flying car you can drive it to nearest airport and take off. The world's first flying car has been cleared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for use on roads and granted it special exemptions as a "roadable aircraft."

Terrafugia's flying car called the Transition is designed to seamlessly shift from a airplane to car in a few minutes. According to Terrafugia it "combines the unique convenience of being able to fold its wings with the ability to drive on any surface road in a modern personal airplane platform." The Transition has a 26 feet wingspan and will retract and expand with only the push of a button. It has a range of nearly 500 miles.

The "roadable aircraft" first flew in 2009 and is the first light airplane to incorporate features found in most cars like a rigid carbon fiber occupant safety cage, and passenger and driver airbags. It has been cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration for flight as a "light sport aircraft". The NHTSA clearance finally made the flying car both air and road ready.

The NHTSA's exemptions allowed the Transition to use lightweight plastic windows and use a different type of tire than that used by other vehicles. The windshield will be made of polycarbonate materials instead of the approved automotive safety glass and will prevent shattering in the case of a bird strike. The tires are heavier to handle landings as well as road driving.

The exemptions will also allow the manufacturer to enter its planned 2012 production time frame. The flying car will start shipping in 2012 and will be priced at around $250,000. Terrafugia has about 100 orders for the Transition with a $10,000 reservation fee.