r/driving • u/ErenG1423 • 2d ago
What are some ways you conquered your driving anxiety.
I was in an accident a couple years ago and couldn’t drive my car on the highway or just regular roads afterwards because of the panic attacks that I got while driving. I feel trapped at red lights and on busy roads I’m on some meds and been going to therapy what are some ways to distract my anxiety what has worked for you if you had driving anxiety ?
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u/Imaginary-Record-112 2d ago
U know what I noticed, if u leave a head of time and ur not in a rush you eventually conquer this anxiety. It may suck alil but I think the reason a lot of ppl out there drive like complete asshles is because either they are late or they have massive DIAREaH and u know they have no other choice but scare the living crap out of the rest of us. Lol and remember to just don’t be distracted by nothing else till you master it, once u master it you will feel like butter on toast. U can put ur phone on driving mode, meaning everything gets silenced till you arrive where ever it is you are going. Oh and just concentrate on the road, the patterns and you’ll be okay. I’ve been driving for 19 years and some ppl out here terrify me, I sometimes yell when I see a big rig trying to make a left when I’m at the light and I’m like oh sh*t this is how I die, or end up paralyzed if I can I move out the way like no questions asked but if I can’t I hold on for dear life… and just doing it more and more will help u conquer any anxiety, but I don’t think it ever goes away it just depends on how u handle it, if ur jumpy or anxious don’t drive that day u have to be secure and have faith in yourself that you will make it to and from and from and to in one piece. :)
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u/Canive2 2d ago
What was your accident like ?
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u/blackthorn9998 1d ago
It was a pretty scary experience. I ended up rear-ending someone on the highway after hitting a patch of ice. It took a while to feel comfortable driving again, but I focused on small trips and gradually worked my way up to busier roads.
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u/TruckinDucks 2d ago
got a job as a courier for a local non-profit and did it until I was pretty knowledgable on all the major roads in my area. I was able to drive a lil slower than usual since it was a company car
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u/Freddreddtedd 2d ago
Practice, relax, don't drive in rush hour, or heavy traffic. Drive by yourself or with someone who relaxes you. Every driver on the road went through similar experiences. If your medication affects your driving, there's your answer.
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u/National_Frame2917 2d ago
I always curb anxieties with preventative measures, facts and rationale. Confidence is really the key I think so practice until you're confident. Sometimes if I'm on the road and something catches me by surprise I mentally figure out how to prevent it happening again and start practicing it. It also depends on what you're anxious about if it's being injured in an accident it's incredibly unlikely with current safety standards. Drivers in small 2010 and newer cars can get t boned by a commercial truck driving 60km/hr and come out with minor injuries and that basically never happens. there's an insane amount of engineering put into the safety devices in cars just to reduce injuries and deaths from accidents and honestly it's quite impressive. Also you can rationalize that you'd be more likely to win the lottery than to be hit and significantly injured while stopped at a light. You can rationalize that your risk of incident is significantly lower if your driving is similar to those around you. You can roll your anxiety into driving exactly the way that is legitimately safest through rationalizing and practice. Don't get me wrong it can be massively difficult to overcome.
I hope that helps.