The Anti-Gag Mobile

I've dealt with motion sickness my entire life. During my dating years I never had a second date because I always got car sick on the first date and no guy wants to take out a girl who turns green and throws up in his car. Fortunately my husband was a poor boy and he didn't have a car when we met. So we walked a lot and got to know each other. It worked out very nicely.

My family accepted my motion problem. They had no choice. But it definitely had a big impact on our lives. When the kids were babies and we went to visit my in-laws, I had to drive because I couldn't take care of the kids in the car. They didn't have car seats back then, mandatory or otherwise. There were "punkin seats" which were not secure at all. The non-driving parent just held the baby and fed or diapered him/her in the car as needed. I couldn't do that because I'd get sick. So I drove and Steve babysat. Most people who experience car sickness don't get sick if they drive.

I tried all the medicines and patches. They knocked me out and I'd lose a day or two of my life. So that wasn't an option. The wrist bands, magnets, ginger and other supposed remedies didn't work for me. Eventually I learned that if I sat in the front seat and looked straight ahead I could travel in a car and not get sick. That could be awkward at times, though. If we went somewhere with another couple and they wanted to drive I had to sit in the front with my friend's husband. Steve would sit in the back with the other woman. It wasn't really a big deal for us but sometimes we got some strange looks.

There was another problem, too. Several other members of my family and some of my friends also got car sick. So if two in the group had weak stomachs, one would have to drive and the other had to sit up front. Everyone else got the back seats. Before GPS systems were invented the front seat passenger usually would navigate by reading a map or computer printout to give the driver directions. People who get car sick can't read anything in a car. And if three people who get motion sickness want to go somewhere together there's a real problem. Somebody has to sit in the back seat. So it limits who you can go where with.

On a family vacation a couple years ago we were all discussing this problem. One family member came up with a brilliant idea. Instead of having vehicles that ride two in the front seat and three in the back, she said they should make cars that seat five abreast, no back seat. Then everybody would have a front seat. No one would get sick. This would have other very positive affects too. The automobile industry would have to redesign all their vehicles. And all the roads would have to be changed to accommodate the width of the new cars. So there would be lots of jobs created. It's a win-win situation. Now all we have to do is to get a patent and convince the government and the auto industry. Keep smiling.

Linda Messmer can be reached at 812-448-8725.