Done to death but.... Fear of motorways...

[TheMightyMing]

I have been driving since 1995 and have never had a accident other than a couple of people crashing into me at low speed. I used to drive anywhere without even thinking. However about 7 years ago I had a minor incident where I broke down on a motorway and ever since have developed a stupid fear of motorway driving and haven't been on one since.
I don't have to use motorways for work which is just as well as the ones by me are always packed- but it's becoming a real pain. My sons school and best friends live 15 minutes away by motorway but the best part of an hour by normal road.
My husband is a policeman and advanced driver and he has offered to come with me but I think it might make me worse. I am not a nervy person otherwise so I don't know why I am so scared.

Any ideas on what I can do?

Well done and thanks. I've just forwarded as course details onto my mum who hates motorways.

I wouldn't drive on motorways at all - well I did the first year or two after I passed my test but then avoided. Actually find some A roads faster (one near where I live runs parallel, at points, to the motorway and when I was forced to use it, in the rush hour, realised that the traffic was almost at a standstill on the motorway but the A road, within sight of it, was still free!)

My fear wasn't the driving on them, it was joining them. I hate slip roads. If you had junctions, I'd have no problem! I think slip roads were safe in the 1950s when only 6 cars were on the motorways anyway...

Was once cut up as I joined an A road (at a point where it is a fast dual carriageway) by a Jag pulling into the near lane at the precise second I was pulling onto the A road... even though there was no reason for him to do it. Ever since I avoided motorways even though it happened to me on an A road.

The slip road is my problem too. Actually driving on motorways and dual carriageways is fine, but joining any road by slip road panics me. I'm scared there'll be no gap, and usually there are other cars hurtling down the slip road close behind me which makes it much much worse.
In my area the slip roads tend to be very short, so you have to merge right away.

And there used to be quiet times but now the roads are busy most of the time, which doesn't help.

I don't mind slip roads except in the dark. I have poor night vision especially with my contact lenses in and find it difficult to judge speed and distance when joining.

So I wear my glasses to drive at night/ to work in the winter.

I have this fear of motorways too, I haven't told anyone as I thought I would be the only one! I used to be fine for the first few years of driving but I had a couple of unpleasant incidents which made me less keen on motorways and then one day I had a panic attack whilst on the motorway which was terrifying, since then I've cut down and cut down how often I go on them to the point when I hardly ever go on one and even then it's just one or two junctions. I think I'm most worried about having another panic attack rather than anything on the motorway, that feeling of being trapped is horrible. I need to do something about it but I'm not sure if driving lessons or therapy would be better?