Motion sickness or car sickness commonly affects individuals while riding a self-driving car.

According to a research from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 6-12% of American passengers in autonomous vehicles would suffer from moderate to severe motion sickness. The problem would be worsened by activities like texting or reading.

Motion sickness, which is also called airsickness or kinetosis causes severe headaches, nausea and vomiting. People usually choose to ride a self-driving car as it improves mobility, enabling them able to do whatever they want such as make-ups and changing clothes, reading without worrying of the road.

The researchers asked 3200 individuals from six countries about their activities while riding a self-driving car. It was found that one third of the American respondents often read, watch movies or play games while sitting, which often contributes to motion sickness.

The same activities were found among respondents from India (50%), China (40%), and Great Britain, Japan and Australia (all with 30%).

The researchers explained that motion sickness is expected to be more of an issue in self-driving vehicles than in conventional vehicles.

The problem becomes elevates in autonomous cars due to three main factors. These include conflict between vestibular (balance) and visual inputs, inability to anticipate the direction of motion and lack of control over the direction of motion.

Researchers have recommended people to avoid stop doing activities by either getting sleep or keep watching the road. A self-driving car with full reclining seats and larger windows might ALOS be great to reducing motion sickness.

Michael Sivak, who along with Brandon Schoettle of U-M conducted the research, said: "Motion sickness is expected to be more of an issue in self-driving vehicles than in conventional vehicles".

The reason is that the three main factors contributing to motion sickness -- conflict between vestibular (balance) and visual inputs, inability to anticipate the direction of motion and lack of control over the direction of motion -- are elevated in self-driving vehicles.