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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / July 2005intense fear of driving
Hello. I'm 24 years old and have a anxiety disorder called ocd. If you have seen on tv or maybe the movie aviator some people have a intense fear of germs. In my case its driving. I was so fearful of driving that I didnt start until I was 18 and then only 6 minutes to work and back or the local store. I'm driving a lot more now but instead of being comforted I am bothered even more. There was a time I made a left turn right in front of someone. I was watching the road both ways while they slipped out from a parking lot in just a blink of a eye. Even this situation made me feel unfit to drive. since then I almost never make a left turn unless its absolutely required. Also a while back my girlfriend pressured me to driving her to work while we stayed in chicago. I was in no way ready to drive there and should have refused. In the blinding sun I ended up going right through a red light, one of my biggest fears. thankfully again no one was hurt. My current fear is running this light where I have to cross a highway on my way to work. There are service roads along the highway so you have to watch for 2 lights to become green. I work nights and on monday morning I go in at 330am. Some monday mornings are just downright painful to keep my eyes open. I have a terrible fear of falling asleep and running through this light. We normally go in at 10pm and for a while I was in the habit of driving home at 330am for lunch which just made me dead tired. Since then I just stay in the parking lot at work and I feel a little safer. I also have a fear of getting confused and running this light. If you've ever had days of "brain cloud" or whatever you call where your mind is so anxious you know what I mean. I mean how do I know anyone or myself couldnt run this thing and hit me. If I was t-boned by a semi coming down the road at 55mph it would probly be instant death or long and painfull death. On the plus side I always wear a seat belt but dont know if it would help much in this situation. I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass casualties yet people give it no thoughts. I look at cars like a coffin with wheels. I drive a 95 s-10 and was curious how safe a light truck like that is? i dont really need a truck and was wondering if I should look into another vehicle? anyway thanks for reading all of this. this is serious question and really how I feel about driving so if your going to make fun hold it to yourself. thanks > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass > casualties yet people give it no thoughts. I look at cars like a coffin > with wheels. Yup - that's like another 9-11 attack every MONTH!!! And we could do something about these highway terrorists since they are us. And it wouldn't cost a thing, in fact it would save billions of $ every month if people would just drive slowly and carefully. Insane. > Hello. I'm 24 years old and have a anxiety disorder called ocd. AFAIK, ocd stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. What you describe in the rest of your post is more along the lines of a phobia. See a psychiatrist or psychologist if you're able. If you cannot concentrate on your driving due to excessive anxiety, then try using mass transit until you have a greater degree of control over your phobia. > Hello. I'm 24 years old and have a anxiety disorder called ocd. If you > have seen on tv or maybe the movie aviator some people have a intense > fear of germs. In my case its driving. <snip examples> A fearful driver cannot be a safe one. Fearful people tend to act on impulse rather than thinking things through. They tend to get easily confused and "wound up", leaving them unable to make the closely sequential rapid and sound decisions needed to drive safely. You also state that you drive on inadequate sleep, which is extremely dangerous even if one isn't abnormally fearful. I strongly suggest you simply choose not to drive until such time as you find a treatment for the cause of your fear, rather than its symptoms. > I look at cars like a coffin with wheels. I've got someone in my family like that. He happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time too many times while he was a little kid, and saw six or seven really gory, gross car crashes -- not including the time his dog was sent flying through the air and into the path of another vehicle, right in front of his eyes, when an inattentive driver jumped the curb. Cars to him are ugly death-machines (trucks less so; he never saw a truck crash, and motorcycles even less so; he never saw a motorcycle crash either...so you can see this doesn't correlate with real-world safety at all). His solution? He simply doesn't drive. > I was so fearful of driving that I didnt start until I was 18 and then > only 6 minutes to work and back or the local store. I'm driving a lot more > now but instead of being comforted I am bothered even more. If your fear is interfering with your driving you shouldn't drive. Plain and simple. > There was a time I made a left turn right in front of someone. I was > watching the road both ways while they slipped out from a parking lot in > just a blink of a eye. Even this situation made me feel unfit to drive. > since then I almost never make a left turn unless its absolutely required. Apparently your fear _is_ interfering with your driving. > I drive a 95 s-10 and was curious how safe a light truck like that is? i > dont really need a truck and was wondering if I should look into another > vehicle? Train, bus, taxicab. > anyway thanks for reading all of this. this is serious question and really > how I feel about driving so if your going to make fun hold it to yourself. I am not trying to make fun of anyone. I am sorry to hear you have a condition that influences your driving like that. Nevertheless you are endangering others through your irrational fears and the associated problems with handling a motor vehicle safely. If your condition is treatable, get it treated. But whether it is treatable or not you should not drive while the condition persists. You are horrified by 40000 deaths on the road per year, so you should stop contributing to the danger on the road. Chris > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! That's actually not much, given how much we Americans drive. The NHTSA's FARS front page places the fatality rate at 1.48 fatalities per 100,000,000 vehicle miles traveled (2003), and that's the lowest it has been roughly since the advent of the automobile. > I drive a 95 s-10 and was curious how safe a light truck like that is? Not very. > i > dont really need a truck and was wondering if I should look into another > vehicle? How about a nice Cannondale? A Schwinn, perhaps? In any case, avoid SUVs and any other kind of trucks like the plague. > anyway thanks for reading all of this. this is serious question and > really how I feel about driving so if your going to make fun hold it to > yourself. No making fun, but I do think you should seriously consider not driving at all. Virtually everyone drives at a speed they feel is comfortable for conditions; it sounds like the speed you're most comfortable with is a walking pace.  Signature~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. ******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant." (pgp@v6stang.com for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) > > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > 100,000,000 vehicle miles traveled (2003), and that's the lowest it has > been roughly since the advent of the automobile. ...nevertheless, despite all the baseless "We're number one!" chestpounding, the US is only 10th-best and 16th-best in the world in deaths per vehicle-distance travelled and per vehicle registered, respectively (www.scienceservingsociety.com). >> > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every >> > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > deaths per vehicle-distance travelled and per vehicle registered, > respectively (www.scienceservingsociety.com). It's not like we are going to run out of people soon, though. heh heh Bernard >>> > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every >>> > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> >It's not like we are going to run out of people soon, though. Thanks to the third world... > > > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > > > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > deaths per vehicle-distance travelled and per vehicle registered, > respectively (www.scienceservingsociety.com). So you're saying that we need to kill more people? Can I pick? SignatureCheers, Bev ************************************************ Horn broken. Watch for finger. > > ...nevertheless, despite all the baseless "We're number one!" > > chestpounding, the US is only 10th-best and 16th-best in the world in > > deaths per vehicle-distance travelled and per vehicle registered, > > respectively (www.scienceservingsociety.com). > > So you're saying that we need to kill more people? Er...no, it means 9 and 15 (respectively) other countries have lower highway kill rates than we do. > > > ...nevertheless, despite all the baseless "We're number one!" > > > chestpounding, the US is only 10th-best and 16th-best in the world in [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Er...no, it means 9 and 15 (respectively) other countries have lower > highway kill rates than we do. sh.t, now you tell me... SignatureCheers, Bev ************************************************ Horn broken. Watch for finger. On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 19:15:25 GMT, Jim , said the following in rec.autos.driving... > Hello. I'm 24 years old and have a anxiety disorder called ocd. If you > have seen on tv or maybe the movie aviator some people have a intense > fear of germs. In my case its driving. <snip> First point: anything that someone called "laura bush murdered her boyfriend," says should be treated as the garbage that it is and ignored. Second: It sounds like these fears are interfering with your ability to safely drive and are putting other road users at unnecessary risk. I'd suggest you look into an alternate form of transportation untill you can see a psychologist (or similar professional) to adress (and hopefully help you overcome) your fears. > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass > casualties yet people give it no thoughts. I look at cars like a coffin > with wheels. And how many more die each year from heart disease? Should we outlaw red meat too? Something you need to come to grips with: we are all going to die eventually. Death is on your calendar and you can't do a thing about it. > I drive a 95 s-10 and was curious how safe a light truck like that is? i > dont really need a truck and was wondering if I should look into another > vehicle? IIRC, most of these light trucks have a roll-over problem (not sure if the S-10 is one of them), so you might want to consider sonething that has a lower center of gravity. SignaturePaul Self-appointed unofficial overseer of kooks and trolls in rec.autos.driving. > And how many more die each year from heart disease? Should we outlaw red > meat too? Something you need to come to grips with: we are all going to > die eventually. Death is on your calendar and you can't do a thing about > it. Reckless drivers don't merely kill themselves like meat-eaters do. They kill others. Reckless drivers should be compared to mass murderers like your heroes john wayne gacy and george walker bush. > > And how many more die each year from heart disease? Should we outlaw red > > meat too? Something you need to come to grips with: we are all going to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > They kill others. Reckless drivers should be compared to mass > murderers like your heroes john wayne gacy and george walker bush. So now you're calling Ted Kennedy a mass murderer? I'm sure your z^Hhero will be so disappointed. > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass > casualties yet people give it no thoughts. I look at cars like a coffin > with wheels. Yup - that amounts to a 9-11 attack every MONTH!!. And we could do something about this since all these murders are due to the criminal drivers on our highways. And it wouldn't cost a thing; in fact it would save billions of $ every month. But psychopath america doesn't care. Pure insanity. > > I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > > year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > save billions of $ every month. But psychopath america doesn't care. > Pure insanity. Yup, train drivers to drive correctly, and you'll eliminate those deaths. Until then, enjoy driving in the high-risk catagory of the LLBers. Won't be *ANY* loss when the LLBer dies in a "tragic" (ROTFLMAO) accident. In our last episode, <1120007764.144800.107560@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, the lovely and talented Laura Bush murdered her boy friend broadcast on alt.true-crime: >> I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every >> year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass >> casualties yet people give it no thoughts. I look at cars like a coffin >> with wheels. > Yup - that amounts to a 9-11 attack every MONTH!!. There's one drunk driver in the White House and another at the Naval Observatory. It's pretty pointless to look for terrorists in the Middle East. SignatureLars Eighner eighner@io.com http://www.larseighner.com/ "There's an old...saying in Tennessee...I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee that says Fool me once...Shame on...Shame on you....Fool me...Can't get fooled again." --George W. Bush > In our last episode, > <1120007764.144800.107560@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Naval Observatory. It's pretty pointless to look for terrorists > in the Middle East. Hell yes. Arab Terrorism is a microscopic problem compared to some ordinary thing like drunk drivers. Our priorities are all effedup because Americans have been brainwashed by the corrupt media. > > In our last episode, > > <1120007764.144800.107560@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > ordinary thing like drunk drivers. Our priorities are all effedup > because Americans have been brainwashed by the corrupt media. Actually your priorities are all effed up because you can't leave the barbituates and narcotics alone. > > In our last episode, > > <1120007764.144800.107560@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > ordinary thing like drunk drivers. Our priorities are all effedup > because Americans have been brainwashed by the corrupt media. Oh great, Looney #1, meet Looney #2. Have a swell life together. >Oh great, Looney #1, meet Looney #2. Have a swell life together. Roedy might be jealous of Laura's new found love. :-) SignatureThe last song I started on my PC was: Better Than Ezra - Summer House - Deluxe K:\Audio\Better Than Ezra\Deluxe\09 - Summer House.mp3 This is track 9 of 13 in the current playlist. > In our last episode, > <1120007764.144800.107560@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Naval Observatory. It's pretty pointless to look for terrorists > in the Middle East. At least the two drunk drivers you've mentioned COMBINED haven't killed as many people as the drunk dimocrapic senator for mass has. >> I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every >> year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > save billions of $ every month. But psychopath america doesn't care. >Pure insanity. We can do something, but it is not free. It is called education, something Judy knows nothing about. It is ridiculously easy to get a license, and keep one, even though many drivers are not ready to be let loose with everyone else. The insanity is that people like Judy can actually get a license. ------------------ Alex > >> I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > >> year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > one, even though many drivers are not ready to be let loose with everyone > else. The insanity is that people like Judy can actually get a license. I've explained this before, loonybird. Everybody knows how to drive safely. They don't do it because the media tells them reckless driving is cool and because the penalties for highway crimes are almost non-existent. If we stopped coddling the highway terrorists, highway deaths would go down by 90% overnight. > > >> I have looked online and sickened to see 40,000 plus people die every > > >> year. thats over 400,000 people in 10 years! Its like a war with mass [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > non-existent. If we stopped coddling the highway terrorists, highway > deaths would go down by 90% overnight. If everyone knew how to drive safely, we wouldn't need retarded speed limits. That people are stupid enough to think they need to be set even lower is just a demonstration of how poor America's educational system has become. >I've explained this before, Too bad your explanation does not make sense. >Everybody knows how to drive safely. Only you would be so stupid as to believe that. >They don't do it because the media tells them reckless driving >is cool and because the penalties for highway crimes are almost >non-existent. Only an idiot does what the media tells them. I'm sure you are that type of person. You need to be told how to live your life. When something goes wrong, you want to be able to blame someone else for your own stupidity. > If we stopped coddling the highway terrorists, highway >deaths would go down by 90% overnight. Too bad you have no data to back up your stupid theories. ------------ Alex > > If we stopped coddling the highway terrorists, highway > >deaths would go down by 90% overnight. > > Too bad you have no data to back up your stupid theories. URACRIMINALCODDLER. Around 7/2/2005 12:16 PM, Aunt Judy (Pride of Diarrhea) <http://tinyurl.com/65nqz> wrote: >>>If we stopped coddling the highway terrorists, highway >>>deaths would go down by 90% overnight. >> >>Too bad you have no data to back up your stupid theories. > > URACRIMINALCODDLER. Yet another example of one of your stupid unsupported theories. Signature~/Garth "I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it." - Edith Sitwell (Mail pgp@v6stang.com for secure contact information) > > > If we stopped coddling the highway terrorists, highway > > >deaths would go down by 90% overnight. > > > > Too bad you have no data to back up your stupid theories. > > URACRIMINALCODDLER. URAREPLYLESSRETARD. How many home runs tonight A-Rod? humbubba@smart.net >>I've explained this before, > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >------------ >Alex > I was so fearful of driving that I didnt start until I was 18 and then > only 6 minutes to work and back or the local store. I'm driving a lot > more now but instead of being comforted I am bothered even more. You have to lose the fear. I wasn't comfortable driving as a teenager, but by the time I was 20 or so I had become used to chicago's cruicible of bad driving, the Dan Ryan Expressway. I started driving using only smaller, slower roads and when traffic was light on other roads. However I didn't have this fog you speak of or the metal problems. I lacked practice and that is what made me not like to drive. I knew driver's ed had not taught me a damn thing about how to drive. Slowly I gained that practice. Maybe that is what you really need. I would suggest a driving school, not a driver's ed school, but a real driving school where you go out on a track and push a car to it's limits. There are several but they cost money. This is what I should have done, it would have helped me much earlier. Another choice would be to look up your local SCCA chapter and see if they have an autocross course. Anyway my idea here is one of increasing the skills you have in controling the car. Once with that in place, it should be easier to concentrate on the task of dealing with traffic, signal lights, etc. Another thing that may help in driving, with regards to traffic, signal lights, etc is bicycling in a vehicular manner. Much of my skill driving in traffic was developed while bicycling. BTW, I also note that you mentioned missing a red light in chicago. Many of the signal lights, stop signs, etc in chicago proper are very poorly placed. There is one particular nonsenically located light that I have technically gone through because it is invisible to me in my car. The angle of the road and my sightline out the top of my windshield make the light itself hard to see (not even visible unless I ducked my head down and looked up) combined with the fact that this T intersection is in the middle of a bridge where one doesn't expect an intersection and well... I caught it just in time as I saw traffic coming from the other way ended up stopping ahead of the stop line but out of the way. Just this past weekend I stopped at an intersection where I *remembered* a stop sign being there. It was totally obscured by a tree, other signs, light pole, etc now. I only stopped because I remembered it being there. It wasn't visible until I was *at* the stop line. >Hello. I'm 24 years old and have a anxiety disorder called ocd. If you >have seen on tv or maybe the movie aviator some people have a intense >fear of germs. In my case its driving. Do what I do: walk, ride a bike, take a bus or train. You don't NEED to drive everywhere. |
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