several years ago - had i not been there and seen this first hand i wouldn't have believed it either - i was on an airport shuttle.

on the bumper-to-bumper 405 in the san fernando valley heading towards lax.

i did not hear the conversation, but saw a passenger approach the driver and convince him to stop - we were already stopped, and had been for several minutes - and open the door.

this guy then runs across three lanes of stopped traffic and disappears down off the side of the freeway.

driver closes the door and moves ahead when he has to.

several minutes later a cheer from the passengers goes up as the guy reappears, runs across the three lanes of traffic and reenters the shuttle.

we hadn't moved forward but about 50'.

the rest of the drive was uneventful.

when you gotta go - you gotta go.

Pee bottles really come in handy when you are in a tent and it is 40 below,with a good wind outside.

While I've never been in that predicament, I have once or twice pulled over myself on a freeway. Mainly b/c it was through Watts at 1am ... but usually I use a gas station or McDonald's or something.

I fully believe we're all grown adults and should be able to tell when we have to tinkle. Keeping a urinal in the car, IMO, is a bit much, but I can see the utility of an empty bottle or something. Cheap insurance, small, probably never used, but what the heck, there if you need it.

Having kids or geriatrics might change the equation.