Final answer:
On a straight road, minimal steering adjustments are needed to maintain a straight path. While negotiating an ideally banked curve at the correct speed, the inward force from the seat balances the apparent outward centrifugal force, resulting in no feeling of being thrown sideways.
Step-by-step explanation:
When driving on a straight road, only minor steering adjustments are typically required to maintain a straight path and compensate for factors such as road imperfections or slight inclines. However, the dynamics change significantly when a vehicle negotiates a curve. If the curve is ideally banked for your car's speed, you will not feel yourself thrown to either side because the banking of the turn and the traction of the tires will work together to keep you and the vehicle in a balanced state of centripetal force. This means the car is directing the force towards the center of the turn, counteracting the centrifugal force you feel that seems to push you outward. The force exerted on you by the car seat during such a turn would be directed inward toward the center of the curve, as the seat pushes back against your body to maintain balance and keep you from sliding.