Cell-phone users can't even WALK well

[General Zod]

An easy intuitive way of observing this phenomenon, I've found, is not only the difference between driver and passenger, but even worse, between shotgun and backseats. When I ride shotgun I still have a good view of both the driver's operations and the movement of what's ahead of me (and I never get carsick riding shotgun, even on 10-hour drives), but the further back I am in the vehicle the worse my car sickness becomes. In the backseats you a very poor point of reference for the car's position and momentum, and it gets that much worse.

For me I've found it's the size of the car that affects things. If I'm in a relatively large and spacious car then I'm just fine whether I'm in the front or the back. But if it's something tiny and cramped then I tend to get queasy regardless of where I'm sitting, though the back does seem worse.

[salm]

We´ve had a ban on using cell phones while driving for years. However, police are saying it´s not really enforcable, simply because it´s rather hard to see.
Furthermore, even if it wasn´t that hard to spot, police cars are even easier to spot. If you use a cell phone while driving you´ll be keeping an eye on the road and all your car mirrors to check for cop cars.
We will probably just have to live with people using cell phones in cars.
One thing that bugs me is that hands free kits can be even more distracting. That´s because the speakers tend to be really crappy and you have to concentrate very hard on the conversation in order to understand anything. If cell phones are illegal then hands free kits with crappy speakers should be illegal as well.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one! I wonder if it's not the left-right balance of the car at all, but rather, that certain cars simply tend to induce more car-sickness, and the act of driving focuses your attention in a way that mitigates the effect. That would explain why certain cars have a greater left/right discrepancy than others.

I've wondered if a driver's attention to the road is subconsciously informing his sense of balance what's about to happen. There are no cues for passengers: to tie into Stuart's observation, a harder-suspension vehicle might couple the sense of movement more to the passenger versus a softer, more isolating one.

I can avoid passenger carsickness by sticking my head all the way out the passenger's side window while leaning on the door and following the route with my eyes rather intently, as a matter of fact, but you can only do this on scenic two-lane roads. It is rather fun on the 101 on the Oregon coast, though, and the only time I enjoy being the passenger in a car.

[Darth Wong]

I can avoid passenger carsickness by sticking my head all the way out the passenger's side window while leaning on the door and following the route with my eyes rather intently, as a matter of fact, but you can only do this on scenic two-lane roads. It is rather fun on the 101 on the Oregon coast, though, and the only time I enjoy being the passenger in a car.

Ummm, that's what my dog does. It's not exactly safe; you can't physically do it unless you are improperly restrained in the vehicle.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Ummm, that's what my dog does. It's not exactly safe; you can't physically do it unless you are improperly restrained in the vehicle.

Maybe in a large car, but I can do it with the seatbelt worn normally in my little two-door subcompact. It probably helps that I tilt my head at a pretty extreme angle when I do it, as for some reason I've never really been bothered by viewing the world sideways.