Driverless cars could increase motion sickness


Driverless cars may be the way of the future, but if you're prone to motion sickness, the idea of being able to have your own invisible chauffeur is about to sound a little less appealing.
A study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute found that riding in driverless cars could make more people motion sick. The main reason for this is rather logical: Passengers, not drivers, are the most likely to experience motion sickness, because they are less able to anticipate the direction of motion.
"By switching from driver to passenger, by definition, one gives up control over the direction of motion, and there are no remedies for this," the study authors wrote. If everybody is a passenger in the age of self-driving cars, this also means that people won't have to keep their eyes on the road at all times — which means, of course, that people are more likely to read or use their phones, which can cause motion sickness.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to the study, six to 10 percent of American adults in driverless cars will experience motion sickness. But if that stat sickens you, perhaps just make sure that on the day you finally ride in a self-driving car, you look out the window.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
RFK Jr.: How to destroy vaccination
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaces all 17 members of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice
-
The god in the machine
Feature An AI model with superhuman intelligence could soon become reality. Should we be worried?
-
ICE: Targeting essential workers
Feature After a brief pause, the Trump administration resumes its mass deportation plan
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read