How can I get over my fear of driving?

thud.fan

Look at the conditions that contributed to the accident last year. Was there anything that you could've done to control or prevent those conditions? The big things are to make sure that your vehicle is up to snuff with good snow tires and maybe some extra weight in the form of sand bags over the drive wheels. Use the sand to sprinkle in front of the tires when starting out and you need some extra traction. Know how to install chains - practice it a couple times. Speeds will be a fraction of what you were used to during warm weather, so give yourself plenty of extra time to get where you're going. Take it slow.

All the best.

Chris R

take it slow.

winter driving in general requires a few common sense rules that people tend to ignore:

- smooth inputs. jamming on teh brakes is not an option. you'll just slide. smashing the gas pedal is no better. your tires spin, and you don't get anywhere. be gentle and steady on the gas and brakes.

if you have ABS, let them work! if not, learn to 'pump' your brakes.

- your car wants to go straight. so keep it straight! most accidents occur when people try to change lanes, or over-correct for their car going off course. i.e. - they weren't smooth with their steering input. small corrections in a smooth manner.

- leave more room to stop. a LOT more room. if people want to go around you, let them. you can stop and ask if they're ok when they spin off the road and you roll by them safely.

- only do one thing at a time! if you have to make a right turn, get all your brakign done BEFORE you need to initiate your turn. braking (or accelerating) while turning can cause your tires to lose grip more easily, helping you slide out of the turn you would have otherwise made.

and lastly, relax. If you can, get to a big open snowy/icy parking lot and have some fun. learn how the car reacts in different situations, and learn which situations are the most important for you to avoid. In my 2wd truck, I know I can't start from a dead stop in slick conditions on a hill. i simply won't have traction. does your car have any similar limitations? learn them in the parking lot rather than during your commute. you can also practice pumping your brakes and gauging your stopping distances.

and like i said beofre - when in doubt, slow down. you might still slide, but a 20mph impact is a lot less dangerous (and expensive) than a 50mph impact. it's also less likely to happen!!!

good luck

smartgurl;-)

I dealt with this too. You need to stay positive. You are not going to wreck again. You are smarter now. People don't wreck two years in a row. That means you already have yours out of the way. ;-) See how that works? When you get scared, just slow down and keep your cool. You can do it. You just need to have a couple good driving experience to outweigh the bad experience. That's normal.

I had this problem but it was just for normal driving. After I totalled my car I suddenly became terribly afraid to drive and would envision all these terrible scenarios and go nuts with anxiety. But then I realized that these negative thoughts were just making everything harder. So I try to push out those thoughts. You can control your mind and this is a good time to exercise that.

Prayer helps calm those nerves too. Trust God to help you and ask Him to keep you safe. I'll pray for you too!

sweet.caroline

Since you are worried about icy conditions you need to learn to drive on ice. Never have total control but there are things you need to know and to practice. For instance, when there are icy or rainy conditions, don't put on cruise control. They can float on the water or water plane and then you may turn the wheel and not know and when the tires grab, you could be off in a direction you weren't expecting. So turn off the cruise in bad conditions.

You turn into a skid so if the tail is coming around to meet you, you take foot off accelerator and don't hit the brake but turn the wheel slightly toward the tail that is coming toward you, just enough to help straighten out the car again. If you turn too much, you could just cause a spin in the other direction. It is easy hands, keep calm, and turn slightly toward the skid and the skid is where you see the tail of the car starting to come in a certain direction. If you feel you have to brake once a skid happens -- I went off the road once and was heading toward the cars across the divided hwy so I decided what the heck and started tapping that brake. Usually with anti-lock brakes you don't tap anymore, but then apply them easily and don't just stomp them and only when you are going to hit something anyway. Try it without any brakes or any gas if you can so you can get control of the car again.

Now the best help once you know the rules is to go out to a parking lot where no one is parked and it is icy and try to put the car into little skids and straighten them. Don't get too close to poles and no where nar other cars. A place might be church when services are not going on or a college during holiday breaks or when closed or before hours. You want a parking lot that has plenty of space and where you are not near trees or poles or the building, etc. And you drive and hit the brake and it will skid and then you let off the gas and turn slightly to correct the skid. I dn't know that it would be approved by police or anyone, but that is where and how I learned to drive in a skid and where I helped teach my kids. I have used it and best is not to panic. But when you are on nothing but ice, you just stay calm and try to adjust slowly and you have no real control and you just have to ride it out and hope no one hits you. But when you know the rules and practice, you have a better chance of pulling it out without major damage.

Good luck to you. Oh, have good tires.

free

Definitely by driving. Keep driving! Go Take a road trip!

UCANTCME

Usually a friend or family member who wants to help the individual overcome the fear of driving and that person becomes a coach and supports the driver throughout.

All that is required of the coach is that they are willing to help, listen and ride with the driver as often as possible.

Paul

By driving.

Smile Like U Mean It

Carpool

bungee

put your big girl panties on and stop whining<

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