Peeing Before Driving Gives You ‘The Best Chance of Survival’

A TikTok creator gave an interesting warning to his followers this week: Pee before you drive, or suffer the consequences, which could include an untimely death.

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MedExplained2you is a TikToker who presents medical information while wearing scrubs and a stethoscope, so you know he’s legit. He’s a physician’s assistant, according to the Daily Dot, and he has an important message for all of us drivers.

“Did you know that you should always pee before going on a car trip in order to give yourself the best chance of survival if you get into a car accident?” asked a physician’s assistant in a recent TikTok.

[…]

“If you get into a car accident with an inflated bladder, you’re more likely to have something called an intraperitoneal abdominal wall rupture,” he said. @medexplained2you added that this can “lead to a quick death” if you’re in a car accident.

If your bladder isn’t full, it’s less likely to “pop,” he added. But even if it does, you’re more likely to get an extraperitoneal rupture, which @medexplained2you said is “less of a big deal.”

A puncture or burst of a full bladder is called a intraperitoneal rupture. Such a rupture of the bladder can exposed your other internal organs to urine—a very dangerous situation. But don’t take some rando on TikTok’s word for it—the American Urological Association has these words of wisdom for drivers who think they can hold it until the next rest stop:

The most common ways the bladder is injured are:

Car crashesFalls from high placesHeavy object falling on the lower abdomen

You can prevent bladder trauma from a car crash by wearing a seat belt properly. The seat belt should be worn as a lap belt, and not across the belly. During a car crash, passengers with a full bladder wearing a seat belt around the belly may have the force of the crash focus on the full bladder

That’s something you definitely do not want! Needing to pee while driving isn’t just dangerous to your organs, however. A study out of Rhode Island hospital in 2012 found that the urge to urinate while driving can be as distracting and dangerous as driving drunk. This being Jalopnik, of course, we have a handy guide on how men can pee while behind the wheel, though I wouldn’t recommend it. If having to pee is as bad as drunk driving, peeing while driving doesn’t strike me as the best idea.