Car loo

A Japanese manufacturer has developed a new portable toilet for cars, equipped with a curtain for privacy and a plastic bag to collect waste.

The Kaneko Sangyo Co (read the intro, it's funny), a manufactuer of plastic car accessories, unveiled its new design to help people stuck in traffic when nature calls.

"The commode will come in handy during major disasters such as earthquakes or when you are caught in a traffic jam," a company official told reporters, according to Kyodo News.

Japan is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Drivers stranded by tectonic movements or stuck in traffic jams simply assemble the cardboard toilet bowl, fit a water-absorbent sheet inside and draw round the curtain.

The product is small enough to fit inside a suitcase, the company said.

But prospective customers will have to hang on until November 15 when the firm begins selling the new product online.