# Can you feel carsick when you are the driver? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186 "2009-01-20T19:23:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4491bb/32.png) [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Have_Hippos_In_My_Garden)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/1 "2009-01-20T19:23:22Z")
I have had a few occasions recently when I’ve been driving and have begun to feel very sick. I don’t ever get travel sick but when I’ve heard of others who suffer from it, they only seem to get it when they are the passenger. Does anyone else feel sick when they are the driver? And if so, why does this happen? I thought travel sickness was due to an inbalance between the inner ear and what you are looking at(or something like that), so if you are driving and staring straight ahead, generally, surely sickness shouldnt happen? ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/2 "2009-01-20T20:03:10Z")
I get horrible motion-sickness when I’m not the driver. I’ve very, very rarely gotten motion-sick as the driver. Its only been on some gods-awful twisty roads, and then I just slow down a bit. It seems that as you drive, you are easily able to adapt to the changing car and road conditions because you can see them coming up, and your body naturally adapts. You KNOW what’s going to happen, so you prepare for it, and then your body adapts. When you aren’t driving, you can’t make the adjustments as accurately, and you get sick. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/3 "2009-01-20T20:08:54Z")
It’s happened to me once, when I drove up a really twisty road to Lick Observatory near San Jose. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/4 "2009-01-20T20:35:37Z")
I don’t know about car sick but I’ve definitly been hypnotized by the seeming never ending stretchs of road in west Texas (between Fort Worth and Lubbock) that just rise up and down and up and down and up and down for hours on end. Made me and my wife both physically ill and want to pass out at the same time. No wonder the Texas Chain Saw dude lives out there. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/5 "2009-01-21T03:49:21Z")
I’ve only gotten carsick as a passenger twice in my life. But I’ve noticed that if it’s very windy, I’ll get a little dizzy sometimes. As the driver, I can anticipate the motion of the car as I steer it, but when a sudden gust of wind hits the side and rocks the car or sets the car slightly off course, I get a really weird feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/6 "2009-01-21T03:53:53Z")
Yes, I’ve felt so on a couple of occasions, involving windy roads at night. ---
**Author:** ![dynamitedave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dynamitedave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dynamitedave)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/7 "2009-01-21T05:23:14Z")
I get sea-sick and car-sick if I’m a passenger. If I’m driving either I can sometimes get a little woozy. For me it seems to be mind over matter. If I’m thinking about things I’m less likely to get sick. So driving gives my mind something to think about. If I start thinking about being ill, I become ill. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/8 "2009-01-21T05:33:21Z")
I’ve seen people get airsick while they flying so, I guess it’s not as common, but it does happen. The whole “being in control” thing isn’t true all of the time. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/9 "2009-01-21T10:11:18Z")
You can get motion sickness when riding a camel. Does that count as “driving”? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/10 "2009-01-21T13:45:51Z")
If I have the beginnings of a migraine, I can get a little carsick when driving. I think exhaust fumes from other cars can exacerbate it. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4491bb/32.png) [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Have_Hippos_In_My_Garden)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/11 "2009-01-21T19:15:35Z")
> [@](#): > > You can get motion sickness when riding a camel. Does that count as “driving”? Seriously?! No way! I take it you know that from personal experience?! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/12 "2009-01-22T19:47:46Z")
> [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](#): > > Seriously?! No way! I take it you know that from personal experience?! Lawrence of Arabia and Napoleon reported suffering motion sickness when riding camels and many tourists do today. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/13 "2009-01-23T07:28:52Z")
It has happened to me on occasion, while driving on twisty mountain roads. Definitely a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-feel-carsick-when-you-are-the-driver/482186/14 "2009-01-23T15:19:22Z")
Never happened to me. When I’m driving I can see the road ahead and I have full control of the vehicle, so my inner ear and my eyes are perfectly in synch. Not a problem.