How to Vomit from a Moving Car

When you're not feeling well, the last place you want to vomit in, is the car. Occasionally, however, if you had too much to drink, eaten something questionable, or suffer from motion sickness, you don’t have any other choice! Of course, the driver of a vehicle should never try to vomit out the window, and no passenger should ever open the door or lean too far out the window in order to throw up.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Vomiting Out the Window

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    Alert the driver and other passengers. As soon as you suspect that you may throw up, make an announcement. Ideally, the driver will be able to pull over, and you will be able to get out and vomit. Make sure that they know how urgent your problem is.
    • If you are the driver, do not attempt to throw up out the window. You must either pull over or resign yourself to vomiting inside the vehicle. Your safety and the safety of your passengers is much more important than the cleanliness of your car.
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    Move to a window seat. If you’re in a center seat and have to switch with someone else, be sure that you both buckle up again after the switch.
    • Determine which car windows will roll down. Don’t move to a childproofed window that doesn’t roll down. If possible, get to a window that rolls completely down, but any window that you can get your head out of will work. Van windows that crack open instead of rolling down likely won’t work.
    • If you cannot get to an appropriate window, DO NOT open the door. There have been reports of people falling out of moving vehicles while opening doors to vomit. Your safety is much more important than the cleanliness of your friend’s car. [1]
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    Lower the window as far as possible. If there is a person behind you, warn them to close their window, especially if the car is moving at high speeds.
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    Move all the way to the back of the window. Positioning yourself in the back of the window will make it less likely that vomit will fly back into the car.
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    Lean your head out. Do this at the last possible moment. Your head and the tops of your shoulders should be all that are out of the window. Leaning any more of your body out of a window is unsafe. You could fall or even be hit by a passing object. Try to keep your seatbelt on if possible.
    • Be especially careful with this step. There has been at least one reported death when a person leaned out too far in an attempt to vomit.[2]
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    Point your face away from the car. If you look down, you will soil the car. You may even get vomit into the window frame, which will be difficult to get out and may leave a smell, so look away if you can. [3]
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    Try to close your mouth slightly. Creating a smaller hole for the vomit to escape from will project it farther away from the vehicle. (Imagine how water from a hose sprays farther and with more force when you cover part of the opening.) You may not be able to control it at this point, but it’s worth a shot. [4]
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    Let it fly. Try to vomit straight outward if you can. If you can’t project outward, try to aim toward the rear of the car. You may get some on the vehicle, but you’re much less likely to get vomit in your face this way.
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    Roll up the window after you finish vomiting. If you didn’t project well, you may need to sponge off the exterior of the car later or take it to a car wash.
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    Clean yourself up. If there are napkins or tissues available, try to wipe your mouth. If you have gum, mints, or something to drink, try to get the taste out of your mouth.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Vomiting Inside the Car

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    Find a container. If you can’t get to a window that rolls down or if you are driving, a container in the car is a good back-up plan. If there is a grocery or garbage bag in the car, that’s usually your best option. A large fast-food container may also work in a pinch. A shirt or jacket will work. Purses are great containers if you have time to empty one first (and are willing to throw it out later).
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    Reinforce the container, if you have time. If the container you have found is flimsy (like a paper bag), try to put it inside another container so that you don’t burst the bag when you vomit.
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    Clear a space in the floor. If you can’t find a container, be prepared to vomit onto the floor. Make sure there is nothing that could get soiled. If you did find a container, you may have to put it on the floor for a while until the driver can get to a place for you to discard it.
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    Vomit into the container. Try to hold the edges up around your face so that you don’t spill (especially if it’s a piece of clothing).
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    Discard the container. If your driver can get to a garbage bin soon, you should hold on to the bag until then so that it doesn’t spill. If not, you can temporarily put it inside another container where it won’t spill or sit it on the floor.
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    Clean up. Wipe your hands and face if you can. Have gum, mints, or something to drink.
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Warnings

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2015/09/14/reports-passenger-falls-vehicle-near-mogul/72249622/
  2. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/16/woman-dies-vomiting-car-window_n_5500155.html
  3. ↑ http://www.cartalk.com/content/today-whats-best-way-clean-some-vomit
  4. ↑ /http://www.solvephysics.com/kinematics_problem45.shtml

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 62,313 times.
41 votes - 56%
Co-authors: 33
Updated: December 23, 2022
Views: 62,313
Categories: Nausea and Vomiting
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