Will Automated Vehicles Be a Boon to the Sex Trade?

One much-talked-about product of the "internet of things" is the "driverless car," which is a shorthand way of referring to any vehicle—car, truck, tractor-trailer, SUV—which maneuvers over the roads by using computer-assisted navigation and without a human being operating the steering wheel, gas pedal or brakes. Long a staple of mid-20th-century science-fiction, there are currently driverless car trials taking place around the world—and that inspired researchers Scott A. Cohen and D. Hopkins to craft an article for the journal Annals of Tourism Research titled "Autonomous vehicles and the future of urban tourism." Talking about "connected and autonomous vehicles" (CAVs), Cohen and Hopkins believe that they have "the potential to dramatically change the way people live, work and travel in cities." The paper goes on to discuss how CAVs would likely ease traffic congestion, improve accessibility for non-drivers such as children, the elderly and the disabled, and perhaps even decrease pollution caused by gas-powered engines. But happily, the authors include a brief discussion of the CAVs' effect on another aspect of urban tourism: prostitution. "The deployment of CAVs in cities will affect hotels, events, restaurants and bars in ways not yet meaningfully considered by the tourism, hospitality and events industries, or the academy," Choen and Hopkins write. "Tourism in the urban night is intricately connected to the hospitality industry. ... This might include questions of how prostitution, and sex more generally, in moving CAVs, becomes a growing phenomenon. For instance, ‘hotels-by-the-hour’ are likely to be replaced by CAVs, and this will have implications for urban tourism, as sex plays a central role in many tourism experiences. ... While SCAVs [shared CAVs] will likely be monitored to deter passengers having sex or using drugs in them, and to prevent violence, such surveillance may be rapidly overcome, disabled or removed. Moreover, personal CAVs will likely be immune from such surveillance. Such private CAVs may also be put to commercial use, as it is just a small leap to imagine Amsterdam’s Red Light District ‘on the move.’” That single paragraph caught the attention of several social commentators, most notably Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason magazine, whose recent article, "'Mobile Brothels' Could Be Enabled by Self-Driving Cars, But That Doesn't Mean They Will," digests several articles on the subject from such diverse sources as The Washington Post and the tech-centric website FastCompany.com. Just think of it: A recreational vehicle such as those used by both the homeless and more wealthy folks who like to maintain their mobility could easily be fitted out with a comfy bed or two and most of the amenities one could find in an upscale hotel room—or upscale brothel—even a shower. Prostitutes could either own such vehicles or be part of a collective that would have RVs on call when a customer schedules a date. Pro and john could be picked up pretty much anywhere and the RV could be programmed to either ride around a city or suburb while the couple is taking care of business, and afterwards each could be dropped at a business or residence, with the RV going on its (pre-programmed) merry way. "People will be sleeping in their vehicles, which has implications for roadside hotels. And people may be eating in vehicles that function as restaurant pods,” Cohen, the study's leader who's a deputy director of research of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Surrey in the U.K., told FastCompany.com writer Mark Wilson. “That led us to think, besides sleeping, what other things will people do in cars when free from the task of driving? And you can see that in the long association of automobiles and sex that’s represented in just about every coming-of-age movie. It’s not a big leap." And after all, having sex in a vehicle isn't so strange. Studies have shown that fully 60 percent of Americans have had sex in a car at least once, and according to Cohen, "Carmakers themselves may even begin to rethink their cabin design based on demand." "Particularly in cities where the governance is in place, where prostitution is legal, and regulations allow AVs to develop fast and be on roads quickly, we could see this come together rapidly. Europe is one of those places," Cohen said. "It’s not impossible or that far-fetched to imagine the red light district on the move. Prostitution doesn’t need to be legal for this to happen. Plenty of illegal activities happen in cars." Of course, with the new use of technology comes new worries. "There are dangers of collision, of getting thrown around," noted Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who focuses on autonomous vehicles, "and if you’re doing particularly intense activities, you’re going to be at risk of unusual injuries." Missy Cummings, a mechanical engineering professor at Duke University, had even more misgivings. "Whenever anyone proposes anything beyond riding in your car and sitting belted in—whether it’s sex or getting a massage or getting your hair cut—all of those suffer from the same reality check," Cummings said. "You’re still a body that can die in a moving vehicle." For her part, Elizabeth Nolan Brown added a few caveats of her own. "In places where sex work remains illegal, engaging in it in a semi-public place, like a car, exposes both purchaser and seller to the risk of being caught and penalized...," she wrote. "While it's true that a moving vehicle may be somewhat harder to locate than a parked one, it's still a car out on the roads, and therefore not an ideal venue for people trying to keep their activities a secret. ... In places where sex work is legal, driverless cars also aren't an ideal solution. A hotel room or brothel is likely to be far less cramped, with any required accoutrements easier to come by. Sex in a moving vehicle might present a bumpier ride than desired. Perhaps more importantly for sex workers, an encounter that turned nasty would be hard to escape from—short of throwing themselves from a moving vehicle, which might be more dangerous still." Yeah, sure, sex in a driverless vehicle may have its shortcomings—but is there anyone reading this who wouldn't want to try it at least once? Photo courtesy newsgov.com.au