Environments That Aggravate Road Fear

People who have developed a road anxiety disorder will have no confidence in driving. In fact, for some, the very thought of driving makes them feel physically sick. To someone who was once a very happy driver, to now have no confidence in driving to this extent, it is devastating.

There are many different types of road environment that
can initiate a panic attack when driving.

Most commonly the phobic driver will initially experience anxiety when driving on motorways. Over time the situation may deteriorate to a point where this situation develops into being scared of driving on dual carriageways, and so on.

Anxiety when driving is a degenerative condition, and although there are slight variations in its form, the list of difficult road environments is great. A fear of bridges and being scared of driving on elevated sections of road, as well as motorways and big dual carriageways are perhaps the most common, but there are a lot more besides.

No confidence in driving within wide open spaces
can bring on an anxiety attack

Wide roads, particularly if there is emptiness beyond the road edges, can bring on an anxiety attack when driving. The road fear in this case is triggered by a feeling of losing balance, which induces a fear of falling off the edge or involunarily swerving into the path of oncoming traffic and crashing.

The situation will often be made worse for a driver with acute road fear if followed by a large goods vehicle or bus, especially if it is close behind. The over anxious driver in this scenario will be inclined to pull to the side of the road, even where it is grossly inappropriate to do so, if only to let the vehicle behind go by.

Anxiety Attack From Acute Fear of Bridges

A fear of bridges can be a big problem, as in having to drive over one. Those who have an acute fear of bridges talk of the Severn Bridge, QE2 Bridge and Humber as inducing an anxiety attack when driving.

Also, having no confidence in driving over elevated sections of motorway, or intersections suspended on legs, this can induce sufficient road fear to produce a full–blown anxiety attack when driving. Anyone with a legitimate fear of bridges will particularly dread elevated sections of road that have a bend in them.

Driving on hills is can be bad news for the anxious driver

As well as a fear of bridges, driving on hills can be another environment in which people prone to road fear can really have a rough time. Driving on hills that provide a view for miles ahead over flat and open country, and to each side, the everyday driver would find this to be ideal. However, for those with no confidence in driving through road anxiety disorder, driving on hills can actually be a complete nightmare.

Some drivers will develop an over–sensitive feeling of responsibility towards fellow road users, or even to their own passengers, and will be more likely to experience an anxiety attack when driving than if alone in the car.

It is not uncommon for an anxious driver to become convinced they have knocked someone down with the car and will be compelled to go back to the section of road involved, just to make sure this is not so.

Anxiety Attack When Driving at Night

The symptoms of road anxiety disorder may become worse when driving at night, as well as fog or rain, as the low light levels intensify road fear. This will be especially evident on open country roads or fast roads with multiple lanes where the anxious driver will have absolutely no confidence in driving.

The environment that causes the least amount of road fear will very often be that of the busy town, where there are lots of other vehicles, stop⁄start traffic and with everything moving slowly. Narrow country lanes with lots of bends, high banks and hedges, even under the cover of trees, can be a great source of relief to someone who is prone to an anxiety attack when driving.

Do not be concerned if you do not see your own particular symptoms of road fear described on these pages, as we have not listed them all. The examples of the symptoms of road anxiety disorder we have given are the most frequently observed.

Contrasting triggers of the anxiety attack when driving

We are aware of contrasting forms of road fear, for example, and unlike the above, some will experience an anxiety attack when driving in traffic queues and busy town centre driving. Road fear on a motorway can induce an anxiety attack when driving in tailback traffic, and will prefer to drive at no less than around 90mph in the outside lane. However, this is less common, but none the less recognised at Ride Drive.

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This page was last updated
Monday, 10-May-2010

Phobic Driver – Fear of Driving Over Bridges