“It is remarkable how complex the brain is! The brain can track several major activities at once. Only be careful and sensible.”

QUESTION:

I drive cross-country a lot. During these long road trips, I love to masturbate, sometimes for hours while I drive solo. I do get in the zone, but I don’t think I’ve ever come close to losing control. How safe do you think this is?

RESPONSE:

There is not a simple answer to this, though obviously if you get distracted beyond a certain point while driving a vehicle, that cannot be considered safe. One conventional wisdom about driving is that you should always keep both hands on the steering wheel unless you are shifting gears. At the same time, most people who drive long distances notice that though the mind can wander what seems like very far from paying full attention to the act of driving. You find you kept the vehicle on the road and maintained safe speeds, obeyed traffic laws. It is remarkable how complex the brain is! The brain can track several major activities at once. Only be careful and sensible.

My attitude on this is certainly not “anything goes.” Still, I do feel that while you are driving along lengthy stretches of highway and not within the complex traffic of a city, to maintain a certain level of masturbatory pleasure while you drive may not be as dangerous as texting while you drive. You can masturbate and remain fully engaged in what you are doing, where you are, and fully aware of your environment and situation. I do not advocate this practice, any more than I suggest you should not do it. One problem is to consider the safety of other vehicles.

It is remarkable how complex the brain is! The brain can track several major activities at once. Only be careful and sensible.

I’m not intending to simply “hedge my bets,” on this issue, as the saying goes. Certainly, a passenger riding in a vehicle during a long road trip may safely enjoy masturbating during such travel. But necessarily if the driver himself masturbates, this becomes a different issue. It is also probably a matter of the level of arousal you bring yourself to as you masturbate while you drive. 

The kind of “split attention” involved when you masturbate while driving, particularly during otherwise-monotonous long-distance road travel, is something your complex brain and nervous system can probably handle pretty well. However, I cannot vouch for the safety of such a practice. To drive as safely as possible always involves keeping full attention on what you are doing as you control the vehicle.

Similarly, to really masturbate while you explore the fullest potentials of self-pleasure requires complete mindful focus on yourself, on your own body, and on what you are doing. This means without the distractions of fantasy or porn, although many men now assume those must be part of it. This is an assumption I challenge with my teaching of Mindful Masturbation, which in my experience provides many men with greater pleasure than they have ever felt from masturbation.

There is no simple, easy answer to your question. Do take care, be responsible, pay full attention, and enjoy yourself!

A note from The Batemaster: I’m honored that the guys at Bateworld have asked me to respond to some questions from male masturbators around the world every week.

Always check with your doctor about any issues you might be experiencing with your sexual organs. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are important. This article’s purpose is to inform and entertain readers and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.