Do you remember the last time you had sex in a car?
It’s been a while but I admit to some great memories! And as you’ll read shortly, some 60% of you can say the same. Cars and sex – sex and cars…
Back in 1909, Italian poet, Tommaso Marinetti, wrote an essay called “The Futurist Manifesto”.
In it, he described machines as works of art. And he gave automobiles special attention, ascribing unabashedly sexual connotations to their shape and power.
More than a hundred years later, with the global auto industry producing close to 100 million cars annually, Marinetti’s vision has gained almost prophetic significance.
Cars and sex – an iconic association through the generations…
There has been a massive flurry of social commentary about cars and sex over the decades. Indeed, the cultural association between the two has become nothing less than iconic.
Scientists at the University of South Dakota (USD) say that parked-car sex remains a “fundamental coming-of-age phenomenon” in the 21st century.
“Sex and cars have gone together since the car was invented,” says psychologist Dr Cindy Struckman-Johnson, who led a research effort on the subject in 2017.
Dr. Struckman-Johnson and her team report that around 60 percent of men and women in the US Midwest have had sex in a parked car. Of these, some 14 percent say they lost their virginity in a parked car.
Getting Down and Dirty in a Car
While most of us associate it with our teenage years, countless adults around the world still enjoy an occasional slap and tickle in a parked vehicle.
And why not? Studies show that one of the most common sexual fantasies involves intercourse in unusual and romantic places. Cars tick both these boxes.
“I prescribe car sex to my couple clients frequently, particularly if they feel like their sex life is in a rut,” says Dr. Holly Richmond, a certified sex therapist who specializes in marriage and family therapy.
“Nothing gets too serious in the car, so it’s an ideal place to enjoy the novelty and pleasure of the experience.”
That said, here are a few tips to remember should you and your partner ever be in the nostalgic mood to get down and dirty in a car.
1. Know where to park.
It seems obvious but worth saying! Knowing where to go is of paramount importance. Before you get busy, find a safe place to park.
Privacy should be a key factor in choosing the site. Not only will this help set the mood, but it will also help you avoid trouble.
While police are likely to take a lenient approach to sex in public places, they tend to get more seriously involved when bystanders complain. For this reason, do your best to keep the sex inside the car – and the car far away from any potential onlookers.
2. Keep your business private.
If you’re worried about privacy, wear a flowing skirt or dress that will work as a sort of tent to hide your business from curious passersby. Easy access is crucial, after all.
Donna Oriowo, sex therapist and owner of AnnodRight therapy, suggests that you use a blanket for additional concealment and camouflage.
She also recommends mutual masturbation for people who simply don’t want to go all-the-way in a parked vehicle. Touch all over each other while it “appears” you’re cuddling, says Oriowo.
3. Make it quick.
If you find the perfect place to park, and have nowhere else to be, you might get lucky and have ample time for foreplay, followed by extended periods of intercourse in the backseat. But typically, cars are for quickies.
Dr. Struckman-Johnson says most sexual encounters in cars do not last longer than 15 minutes. Only 5.5 percent of the respondents to her team’s survey reported encounters that lasted “more than an hour” in the car.
With this in mind, the wiser course is to move fast. Speed is also helpful when you don’t want to get caught, which is something you definitely want to avoid.
That’s not an invitation to a ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am‘ episode. Mutual pleasure and satisfaction is always the name of the game. Remember that a sense of urgency can be a wonderful aphrodisiac in itself!
4. Recline the seat and make good use of available space.
Cars can be claustrophobic places for sex. Finding a comfortable position can be awkward and complicated. Unless you practice yoga, muscle cramps are inevitable.
That’s why Philadelphia-based relationship expert Carmel Jones suggests that you make the best use of what little space you have.
“Recline the seat back as far as it goes, have it lying it all the way down, or try having sex in the trunk or the bed of the truck for added comfort,” says Jones.
Dr. Ava Cadell, a clinical sexologist and certified sex counsellor, recommends a spoon sex position in the back seat. “If the seat is narrow, keep yourself from falling off by bracing your hands against the seat in front of you,” she says.
5. Buckle up and have fun with accessories.
Ironically, the lack of space allows ample room for playful creativity. Use what is at hand in to enhance the experience. Cars are equipped with all manner of paraphernalia that make excellent sex accessories.
“All cars come equipped with the perfect BDSM accessory – seatbelts,” says Dr. Ava Cadell, a clinical sexologist and certified sex counsellor. “Have your partner sit in the passenger seat, then click the belt into place.”
The owner’s manual stashed in your glove box can also do double as a spanker, Cadell adds.
Happily, there is a wide variety of sex toys made specifically for sex in cars. You’ve heard of the rabbit, right? Manufacturer Top Cat recently issued a version which plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter.
The company claims the device is “perfect for long journeys,” and at four inches, it’s small enough to be stowed in the glove box.
6. Crack a window open.
Sex has a potent, unmistakable smell – and that smell lingers. If you do not crack a window or air yourselves out, you’re going to smell like sex. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But depending on what you have planned after your erotic adventure, you may find yourself in an awkward situation aromatically!
There is also the fact that temperatures rise inside a car when you’re getting it on. This might add to the sexiness of it all, but the steam you create is also a dead giveaway.
If a nosey passerby happens along, you may very well have the police tapping on your window during an inopportune moment.
“Semi-private, Movable, and Secure”
Dr. Struckman-Johnson and her research team saw few downsides to knocking boots in the backseat. Less than 10 percent of the respondents to their survey got caught. Only two of the respondents reported pregnancies resulting from car sex.
“The universal value of parking in cars is that, for more than a century, it has offered a semi-private, movable, secure, and available place for two people to have sex,” say Dr. Struckma-Johnson and her team in their report.
“We see this role continuing in the future of dating, even as courtship trends change.”
Cars have changed a lot since the days of the Model T but having sex inside of them, it seems, will always be an enduring cultural norm. It’s a novel and exciting experience that’s just risky enough to get your heart racing and those magical parts throbbing!
What’s your story? Are you part of the 60% cohort? Maybe you still enjoy car sex. Why not share your thoughts by reviewing this article below?
