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> She gets carsick when she is not driving. Which is ironic because it doesn’t happen when she is driving and she has had a commercial driving license for decad

> She gets carsick when she is not driving. Which is ironic because it doesn’t happen when she is driving and she has had a commercial driving license for decades and she was a city bus driver before we got married and a school bus driver afterwards - mostly for the benefits until two years ago. This is the nature of "motion sickness" when it relates to cars. You only get it as a passenger because as a driver you anticipate the changes in movement as you are in control. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/why-doesnt-the-driver-get-carsick https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/why-doesnt-the... Obviously "sea sickness" is another can of worms.

Izkata 4y ago
Huh, now I'm curious - would the passenger sitting in the back also reduce motion sickness since they don't have as clear a view of what's going on, so there's less to anticipate?
- wccrawford 4y ago
  IME, no. It's worse in the back. It's also worse when reading or looking at a phone, rather than the road. I guess that means that less information makes it even worse, not better.
- kennend3 4y ago
  My daughter is the same as this OP's partner. She can drive for hours just fine, but if she's a passenger ~20 mins is her comfort zone. Sitting "shotgun" or in the back doesn't make much of a difference. It is the "movements" which seems to trigger her. Think about how your body reacts to you driving. As you enter a turn you anticipate it and muscles tighten. This is more dramatic if you stop/start because this leads to the body being pushed forward. As a driver you know the car will be slowing down as you pushed on the brakes, passengers dont "know" this and their muscles dont react the same. When we go on road trips she refuses to drive yet this would actually help her motion sickness. She also fights for the "shotgun" seat claiming it "helps with my motion sickness"... Long road trips on the highway are easier for her vs short commutes because there is less "forward and back" movement. This is just my personal observations. Thank goodness for "Gravol" ;)
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    > Think about how your body reacts to you driving. As you enter a turn you anticipate it and muscles tighten. This is more dramatic if you stop/start because this leads to the body being pushed forward. As a driver you know the car will be slowing down as you pushed on the brakes, passengers dont "know" this and their muscles dont react the same. I guess part of that comes down to having a predictable driver that drives the same way you do. But then you start over-analyzing the drivers' choices which might be better or worse than choices you would make. Reminds me of when someone told me a I was a good passenger on a motorcycle and I just laughed at the ridiculous compliment: but after they explained, I understood it. Apparently I lean appropriately into the turns and don't shift my weight suddenly.
- sokoloff 4y ago
  In general, the better you can see outside, the less motion sickness. It’s driven heavily by a disconnect between your vestibular sense and visual sense. Your vestibular system needs periodic “updating” to remove the inherent drift in it. If you feel sick, looking outside helps reset that drift, alleviating the symptoms. Many people feel ill and decide to close their eyes, look down, or read to take their mind off it. Bad idea. Keeping cool (even slightly cold) also helps some people.
owenversteeg 4y ago
Seasickness is similar. I was sailing my boat on the North Sea yesterday and had a moderately seasick passenger; letting him helm the boat quickly made him feel totally better. I've never been seasick so I wouldn't know, but I've experimented with various passengers on various bodies of water over the years and by far the #1 way to quickly eliminate seasickness is to let the person steer. Somehow it's even better than looking out the window - I think you're correct, you anticipate the movements when you're in control. That said, I do wonder if there's an element that comes from simply being in control; that is, if you gave passengers a non-functional ship's wheel and had it turn in sync with the captain's wheel, would that also work? My gut says it would help but not as much as actually steering yourself.

Izkata 4y ago

Huh, now I'm curious - would the passenger sitting in the back also reduce motion sickness since they don't have as clear a view of what's going on, so there's less to anticipate?

wccrawford 4y ago
IME, no. It's worse in the back. It's also worse when reading or looking at a phone, rather than the road. I guess that means that less information makes it even worse, not better.
kennend3 4y ago
My daughter is the same as this OP's partner. She can drive for hours just fine, but if she's a passenger ~20 mins is her comfort zone. Sitting "shotgun" or in the back doesn't make much of a difference. It is the "movements" which seems to trigger her. Think about how your body reacts to you driving. As you enter a turn you anticipate it and muscles tighten. This is more dramatic if you stop/start because this leads to the body being pushed forward. As a driver you know the car will be slowing down as you pushed on the brakes, passengers dont "know" this and their muscles dont react the same. When we go on road trips she refuses to drive yet this would actually help her motion sickness. She also fights for the "shotgun" seat claiming it "helps with my motion sickness"... Long road trips on the highway are easier for her vs short commutes because there is less "forward and back" movement. This is just my personal observations. Thank goodness for "Gravol" ;)
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  > Think about how your body reacts to you driving. As you enter a turn you anticipate it and muscles tighten. This is more dramatic if you stop/start because this leads to the body being pushed forward. As a driver you know the car will be slowing down as you pushed on the brakes, passengers dont "know" this and their muscles dont react the same. I guess part of that comes down to having a predictable driver that drives the same way you do. But then you start over-analyzing the drivers' choices which might be better or worse than choices you would make. Reminds me of when someone told me a I was a good passenger on a motorcycle and I just laughed at the ridiculous compliment: but after they explained, I understood it. Apparently I lean appropriately into the turns and don't shift my weight suddenly.
sokoloff 4y ago
In general, the better you can see outside, the less motion sickness. It’s driven heavily by a disconnect between your vestibular sense and visual sense. Your vestibular system needs periodic “updating” to remove the inherent drift in it. If you feel sick, looking outside helps reset that drift, alleviating the symptoms. Many people feel ill and decide to close their eyes, look down, or read to take their mind off it. Bad idea. Keeping cool (even slightly cold) also helps some people.

owenversteeg 4y ago

Seasickness is similar. I was sailing my boat on the North Sea yesterday and had a moderately seasick passenger; letting him helm the boat quickly made him feel totally better. I've never been seasick so I wouldn't know, but I've experimented with various passengers on various bodies of water over the years and by far the #1 way to quickly eliminate seasickness is to let the person steer. Somehow it's even better than looking out the window - I think you're correct, you anticipate the movements when you're in control. That said, I do wonder if there's an element that comes from simply being in control; that is, if you gave passengers a non-functional ship's wheel and had it turn in sync with the captain's wheel, would that also work? My gut says it would help but not as much as actually steering yourself.