Suffering a trauma while driving can leave behind fears and anxiety that, more often than not, impair the person’s will to continue driving. The reasons behind this are many, but the most common one is that people simply don’t feel safe driving themselves or, especially, others. This condition is highly treatable, even though it might not feel that way at the time. Here are some of the most effective ways to feel safe when driving after you’ve been through a driving trauma.
TRY TO GET BACK TO DRIVING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
After you’ve suffered trauma when driving, the last thing you probably want to do is to get behind the wheel. While it’s advised that if you shouldn’t force this if you’ve experienced trauma, it’s also recommended you don’t take too long either. However harsh this may sound, it’s for your good. The longer you wait to start driving, the grader it can be to overcome any fears you might have developed. As soon as you see progress in dealing with your trauma, you should focus on driving even for short trips to the store or your friends.
GO TO THERAPY
If you want to feel safe when driving after you have experienced a trauma, but you can’t seem to make it go away, it might be time to look for some professional help. Professional therapists can help you work through the fears and anxiety that can build up after these sorts of incidents. They can also recommend prescription medication that can help you better deal with the situation until your therapy shows more promising results. If you’re on the fence about seeing a therapist, you can always book a single appointment, and see if you can benefit from it.
CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES
In addition to professional therapists and a driving instructor, there are some additional ways you can feel safer when driving after a trauma. One of the ways this can be taken care of is through specific programs that can help with driving anxiety, such as the Driving Peace program. What many don’t realize is that driving phobia is highly treatable, and the program has simple yet effective tools to help people with this condition feel safe. Driving is one of the key aspects of our daily lives, and not being able to overcome this fear might impose serious damage.
DRIVE IN LESS BUSY NEIGHBORHOODS
If you’ve taken your time to recuperate and you’re finally able to get behind the wheel, you might want to start slow. Pick a very quiet neighborhood to ensure you don’t push yourself into something you’re not ready to handle. It’s highly advised that the neighborhood be very quiet, and if possible, that you’re familiar with it and feel comfortable driving there. Once you feel completely comfortable driving in this area, you are ready to take on busier streets and ultimately get back to your normal driving routine. Just remember to take it very slowly at the beginning.
HIRE A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR
If you don’t feel safe driving on your own at first, you might want to consider hiring a driving instructor. Contrary to popular belief, driving instructors don’t just teach people the general driving skills, there are also instructors whose specialty are exactly these kinds of situations. In addition to this, a good driving instructor can help you work on your defensive driving skills, so you can rest assured that if you ever need to use them, you will be well trained. Defensive driving skills can also help you avoid collisions, even if they aren’t caused by you. Consider the benefits.
TAKE YOUR TIME
As we’ve previously mentioned, if you’re already feeling comfortable driving even for short trips, or in quiet and familiar neighborhoods, it’s still advised to take things slow. Recovering from a driving trauma can be a lengthy process, and you are in no way failing if it doesn’t go away quickly. Remember to always have this in mind. Driving anxiety is a highly treatable condition, and no good will come if you push yourself past your comfort zone in this particular case. Be patient during this healing process and allow yourself as much time you need to get back on track.
Driving phobia after a person has suffered any kind of driving trauma is nothing uncommon. Many people have been through it and have successfully recovered and are now behind the wheel full time. The most important thing you should remember is that your recovery will take as much time as you need, and luckily there are many services available to help you feel safe when you start driving again.
