A question for the experienced instructors.

Do you, or have you ever had a student get motion sick while riding as a passenger? A friend in Florida called me this afternoon and asked me the same question. He's just getting into track events and took a school recently where he got motion sick (as a passenger) and pretty much ruined his day. He said he took Dramamine (sp) before, and during the event. Maybe it's just not talked about, but I've felt queezy a few times after karting, but not while on the track.

Is there any tricks, or a more effectice medication he can try next time? I'd hate for him to get discouraged so soon.

 

Make sure when he rides passenger that he isn't staring at the ground in front of the car. Tell him to look where the car should go, not where it is.

Warren

 

You might also suggest they try looking into the Relief Band. It's an electronic device that's worn like a watch. It has two electrodes that send impulses through the wrist which confuse the brain into not making your stomach upset. No personal experience, but it got a good write up in a boating magazine I read on occaision. The nice thing is that you only have to start using it when you start feeling sick. No need to be preventative about motion sickness if you don't want to.

http://www.reliefband.com

 

When I started codriving in a rally car, I got sick a lot and tried all of the "remedies" - Dramamine, that stupid wrist thingie, scopolamine patches (which are NOT non-drowsy when I use them!), even huge doses of ginger. As the driver got smoother (particularly on the brakes, the negative G's on my inner ear when I was looking down at the route book tended to REALLY get to me), the problem went away. A few seasons later, for no reason that I can fully explain, it came back worse than ever. Puked in my helmet on one event and at the last rally I did, I had to be physically lifted out of the seat.

Terry Labonte reportedly had this problem and battled with it until a doctor told him to do a heavy dose of roller coaster thrill rides - is the story I heard anyway - to knock crystals off of his inner ear or some danged thing...

Short answer is you may not be able to fix it. I have my fingers crossed that, when I start road racing again here pretty quick, it won't be a problem but...

Kirk

 

Interesting replies (and private messages)...thanks . I sent this same question out to a local racing email list, and received much of the same information. Everything to the drivers' technique (not smooth), to looking upstream, to medication. I haven't been sick while riding in the right seat during races, but have been motion sick while riding as a passenger on long road trips on windy roads. Sometimes looking ahead doesn't cure it for me, but hopping in the drivers seat does. Go figure.

 

I used to get sick on curvey roads too.. when I was a passenger.

One thing I noticed was that it was alot in my mind.. *I* made myself sick worrying about getting sick..

I also feel that if the sick feeling starts, then looking ahead will not help much... too late, might as well yack and get it over with. Try looking far ahead all the time, and keep your mind busy. Never look to the side of the car, or move your head quickly..

Just my opinion... HTH

 

I gave a ride to a young lady this weekend on VIR South. She started saying she was getting dizzy. I slowed up and told her to look way out in front of the car. As it turns out she was looking just off the hood of the car....no wonder she was getting sick....keep that vision up and you should be fine

Cheers'

Always drive 7/10 with someone in the car!

 

the last time I did get sick (Deals Gap) I was driving and could not yack....

Will
-who used his finger and put it down his throat trying...

 

I have found that breathing through my nose helps.. and that talking helps tremendouslly....

I remember I was riding in a M coupe up in willow... I was starting to feel a little green.. until I started breathing through my nose.. and the driver asked me a question... and I started talking to him.. I felt better right away...

don't babble too much.. but enough to keep you from loosing your lunch

 

Or just remembering to take breathes .... I noticed that I was taking small breaths and not deep ones.

Will

 

a few miles at the "GAP" in a car that pulls +1G = anyone will get sick.
the problem with that road is that the curves prevent a good look ahead..

Will

 

I thought it was just inner-ear stuff that caused motion sickness, but since a lot of you say getting vision up helps, I guess it's a visual thing too.

 

We had a National caliber driver Audrey Harnish who would never instruct because she too would get car sick. She is a 3 time National Champion in CSP. Usually when you are in control you kinda know where you are going, but when you are the passenger you don't have control and some people that makes you sick.

I would try looking ahead too. I'm going to start instructing this year and see how I feel

 

It was explained to me by the doc that gave me the scrip for the patches, that the sick feeling is caused by confusion between the message to your brain from your inner ear and and that from your eyes. I can ride anything at Disneyland and not get ill EXCEPT for that damn video game Star Wars thing that shows you a movie and moves the seat around. Your balance center is still feeling the pull of one G, completely out of synch with what your eyes are seeing. Spewsville. If I ride in a bus, I have to look up the aisle and out the windshield!

K

 

You should ride the teacups with me and my friends when we visit Disneyland. We see how fast we can get the things up to(people say we look like a blur from the outside). Its stupid fun but my friends hands have gotten blisters (and bleed)from them and one has lost his lunch.

 

Geez. My wife is always trying to blame my problems on the meth, too. I'll be out in the shed if you need me.