Eli5: Why can you feel the forces of the car more as a passenger than the driver
In: Physics
Because as a passenger you don’t know what’s gonna happen next so you are not prepared for it
Same reason you get motion sickness in passenger and not driver.
Same reason you cannot tickle yourself as well.
It’s all about expected sensory input.
The biggest one is that you’re not holding onto the steering wheel. The wheel is a stabilizing point for you to hold onto that gives your arms and upper body something to brace with.
The other factor is psychological, because you’re in a position where you’re out of control. Any movement or change in inertia is no longer something you’re anticipating as the one in control of it. Instead you’re only able to react to it.
There’s a Radiolab somewhere that talks about how your body will filter its own physical actions from your conscious perception to a small degree which should extend to tools we use a lot. Noticed it a lot recently between our two cars as one has quite a bit more acceleration and as I got used to how the fast one responds my brain definitely hiccups a bit when I do drive the slower one and it feels like it’s not responding right. Like my body is braced just a tad for acceleration that doesn’t happen and there’s a subtle feeling I’m not moving as fast as I should be.
It’s because you are anticipating the directional changes as the driver. You know when and how you are going to brake, steer or accelerate and your brain adjusts to it. It’s the exact same energy transferring into the passengers body. Their nervous system just isn’t quite as ready for it.
As a driver, you know when you’re about to make a change to speed or direction. Passengers could try to predict it, but it’s way less accurate than feeling your body initiate the action.
The difference the steering wheel makes its even more amplified when at the track. I am a high performance driving instructor and spend a lot of time with students in the right seat. If the car had race seats or high bolstered seats it helps but the forces on the track and the speed sensations in the right seat always feel more extreme even after many years being an instructor.
You got a lot of wrong answers so here’s the right one:
The driver is sitting in a stable upright position with a hand braced on the wheel. If you in the passenger seat were holding on to something in front of you, while sitting up, you’d feel less force too.
Can’t believe this is an actual question. LOL.
The driver can anticipate what’s going to happen because they’re *driving.* The wheel is in their hands. The brake and accelerator are under their feet. They make every single decision— why would they “feel” things as abruptly as the passenger, who has no idea what’s about to happen next?
I know you could’ve thought your way through this one on your own…..
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