Busy hands: will self-driving cars lead to more road sex

The freeway of love may be about to get a lot more lovin’ thanks to self-driving cars’ ability to allow drivers to, ahem, multitask.

The Daily Mail reveals that a report by the Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence is warning that self-driving cars will up the incidents of sexual congress in moving cars.

“I am predicting that, once computers are doing the driving, there will be a lot more sex in cars,” said Barrie Kirk of the Canadian research institute.

And while this may sound like a load of fun, he warns of dangers from increased vehicular-based arousal in his note to Canada’s Transport Minister Marc Garneau.

“[Sex is] one of several things people will do which will inhibit their ability to respond quickly when the computer says to the human, ‘Take over’,” says Kirk. “Drivers tend to overestimate the performance of automation and will naturally turn their focus away from the road when they turn on their auto-pilot.”

Naturally, perhaps being the operative word here.

The report, obtained by an Access to Information request, comes as Canada’s recent federal budget included funding for the transportation department to develop autonomous vehicle regulations. Currently, Canada’s road safety standards do not allow driverless vehicles.

More sex = good. Less attention = bad.

The briefing notes recommend that new regulations ensure that self-driving cars include a fail-safe mechanism that can take over should the driver be unavailable during an emergency, due to passionate embraces or some other distraction.

Canada’s interest in accommodating the new car technology comes amidst a global push to develop regulatory frameworks that can accommodate autonomous vehicles.

The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets recently formed in the U.S. by such industry heavyweights as Google, Ford, Uber, Lyft and Volvo. The group’s mission is to “work with lawmakers, regulators and the public to realize the safety and societal benefits of self-driving vehicles.”

Meanwhile, China is developing a draft roadmap that will establish standards that will enable self-driving vehicles on highways in five years and on its city streets by 2025.

But until self-driving car regulations fully parse the threat of increased intercourse on the interstate, the best advice for those overcome by passion in an autonomous vehicle might be to simply keep your seat in the upright position.