Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: See the problem coming
• Method 2 of 2: Respond to sudden nausea
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Are you behind the wheel and feeling nauseous? Do you feel like you are throwing up? Few drivers think in advance about what to do if they get sick while driving. Not only are nausea and vomiting unpleasant, doing the wrong thing can even lead to an accident. Some people are more at risk, such as those who have a lot of motion sickness, or those who are often nauseous due to chemotherapy or a medical condition. If this is bothering you, you can save your life by knowing how to pull over your car and how to vomit safely.

To step

Method 1 of 2: See the problem coming

1. Avoid driving yourself. Travel sickness is likely caused by movements that you cannot control yourself (in a car or boat, for example) confuse your brain. Normally, your brain detects movement from signals coming from the inner ear, your eyes and skin receptors. It's a common problem. If you know that you can easily get motion sick and that you vomit often, you can avoid dangerous situations by not driving.
   • Nausea and vomiting are more common in chemo patients who suffered from motion sickness before becoming ill. If you are concerned that you will feel nauseous while driving, do not drive yourself for the duration of the therapy.
2. Take a motion sickness medicine that will not make you drowsy before driving. If you suffer from a lot of motion sickness, you can buy a remedy for motion sickness at the drugstore. This usually works within 30 to 60 minutes. Do choose a substance that does not make you sleepy. Drowsiness is one of the side effects of many motion sickness remedies, so always look closely at this, the last thing you want is to be sleepy behind the wheel!
   • Another option is a remedy for nausea. For example, loperamide can help.
   • Always ask your doctor which medicine is the best choice for you. The doctor can inform you about possible side effects and potentially dangerous combinations with other medications.
3. Have gum and vomit bags in the car. Be prepared if you throw up regularly. Keep vomit bags near the driver's seat, which can be plastic or paper bags, and consider covering the passenger's seat and / or the floor with plastic.
   • Chewing can help with nausea, so keep chewing gum with a not too strong flavor on hand. Chewing in general can help reduce symptoms and bring your body back into balance, so you can try chewing on a piece of candy or even nothing.
   • Fresh air has also been shown to help reduce motion sickness. So open your window a little or aim the blower at your face.
4. Eat ginger before driving. Ginger is an ancient herbal remedy for nausea, some studies have found to help with motion sickness. If you have to drive a lot, you can take a supplement of 250mg three times a day. There is also ginger chewing gum, with which you can kill two birds with one stone: chewing and ginger intake.
   • Just keep in mind that taking ginger supplements can increase your risk of bleeding, especially if you are already taking a blood thinner or aspirin. Ask your doctor if you can safely combine the medications you are taking with ginger supplements.
5. Drive carefully and learn to recognize the signs. If you really need to get on the road, drive carefully in case you suddenly have to get off the road. Stay in the outer lane and avoid highways or other roads where it is difficult to suddenly get off the road.
   • Learn to recognize your body's reactions. If motion sickness usually starts with a mild headache for you, and then gets worse until you get nauseous and vomit, pay close attention to when you get a headache. That can be a sign to stop driving.

Method 2 of 2: Respond to sudden nausea

1. Inform your fellow passengers. Let others in the car know that you are suddenly nauseous. Your passengers can help you by giving you something to throw up in, or in the worst case, take the wheel. A passenger can even bowl with his or her hands if there is no bag to be found. That is of course very dirty, but maybe better than a bad smell in the car or vomiting on your clothes. Most importantly, they know what's going on and don't panic.
2. Try to move carefully to the side of the road. The most important thing at the moment is the safety of yourself, your fellow passengers and other road users. Your clothes are the least important now. If you are driving slowly, between 20 and 50 km / h, try to move to the side of the road. If that is not possible and if there is little or no traffic behind you, stop, turn on your hazard lights and surrender.
   • Do not worry about the reactions of other road users in this situation. When traffic is slow, stopping is not very dangerous. Open the door and surrender if possible.
   • If possible, steer the car onto the emergency lane. At the first sign of nausea, try to hold it back for a while safe and slowly to enter the emergency lane.
3. Be very careful when you drive faster. Never stop on the road. Drive carefully, turn on your flashing light, don't assume that other cars will slow for you.
   • Always use the emergency lane on the right-hand side of the highway or motorway. Never use a stretch of road between the lanes, as it is narrower and the traffic rushing past is much closer.
4. Only surrender outside the car when it is safe. As mentioned, at lower speeds it is usually easy to stop, open your door and throw up on the road. But this can be very dangerous on speeding roads and highways. Even if you are on the emergency lane, it is better not to get out of your car. Be very careful. It is better to throw up on your floor mat than be hit by another car.
   • At high speeds where you cannot stop, you can take your foot off the accelerator before throwing up and put it on the brake pedal, in case you suddenly have to slow down.
5. Surrender in a straight line forward. If you cannot pull over the car, it is of the utmost importance that you keep control of the car. Do not turn your head to the side, or you will not be able to see the road properly. Because of that movement you start to swing. Instead, look straight ahead and focus on a vomit bag, or if there isn't one, on the steering wheel or windshield. You can clean this with your hand afterwards.
   • If you don't have a pouch or tray available, you can hold the collar of your shirt open and throw up on your chest. This is very dirty, but safer because you don't have to turn your head to the side.
   • Another way is to target the floor. It is better to throw up on your seat or floor mat than on your dashboard with radio and buttons for the heating, air conditioning and the like.

Tips

• Clean up the vomit as soon as possible, and never leave it in direct sunlight. There's nothing worse than cleaning caked-on vomit on upholstery.
• In general, it is better to throw up on leather than on a cloth chair or floor mat.
• Stay calm and pay attention, no matter how difficult it may seem.
• Vomiting on a floor mat isn't too bad as it can be cleaned or replaced.
• If all else fails, you can open your window and throw up outside.
• Don't worry about your clothes! Your times can always be washed.

Warnings

• It is dangerous to drive with a high fever or the flu, you endanger your own life and that of other road users if you lose control of the car.
• Keeping the car under control is the most important thing if you are sick while driving.
• If you continue to vomit or have a very high fever, go to the hospital as soon as possible.

Necessities

• Vomit bag or something else to throw up in
• Bottle of water
• Mints
• Kitchen paper to clean up