Drving on motorway phobia

[mousemole]

does anyone else have a motorway driving phobia ? Just after DS1 was born I drove on the M25 ( my first bout of driving post c section) and had a massive panic attack in the fast lane. I was tired and wrung out and shouldn't have been at the wheel really. Since then i have a terrible fear of motorway driving and dual carraiges. I have been on a DC once and it was a white knuckle ride for me for the whole 2 miles. I have had 3 sessions of CBT and the therapist says I now need to 'get out and drive'. easier said than done. This phobia is really restricting me and I hate it. The panic I feel is liek I am going to pass out at the wheel and kill everyone in the car. Help please.

How about some advanced driving lessons? Some instruction from an experienced teacher may help, and you may need a refresher if you're still calling it the "fast lane".

Yes I also have this phobia. I sometimes have to force to myself on drive on the motorway or we wouldn't get anywhere. A couple panic attacks I had are exactly as you describe, only I'm OK on dual carriageways.

A also fear having a panic attack ifswim.

I suffer from vertigo so the worse time is when I have to drive over a bridge. I get dizzy and feel as though the car is going to veer off.

Its strange because I'm a reasonably good driver. I hope you can find a solution and would be interested to know how to overcome it.

you do just have to get on and do it. choose a time when you are not tired and the motorway is v. quiet. don't have your children in teh car and take a calm sympathetic person in the passenger seat.

you will be fine. people don't really want to drive into you.

Try driving on one at 6am on a Sunday morning perhaps?

Where do you live?

I hate 'down south' motorways like M25 and bottom end of M1 and always let DH drive those bits.

I'm okay once I get north of Peterborough. The driving seems more civilised and less pushy and scary.

Luckily I live in Lincolnshire

abouteve, funny what you say about bridges as i dread them and any edges when driving too. The irony is I used to LOVE driving before kids. Bruxeur, someone else suggested advanced driving lessons which I think I will investiagte. 'Fast lane', 'Outside lane' whatever you call it, you know the one I mean ! The Petty, I am not scared of other people driving into me, more of me fainting at the wheel through a panic attack and causing a huge pile up.

themoon, yes I live 'down south' so all the motorways and even dual carriageways are hideous ( especially the A3). However we are moving to Edinburgh at the end of the month and I am hoping the m'ways and duals might be a bit quieter up there and enable me to get my confidence back. Someoene else said its a practice effect and that i need to try and drive on one every day for a few weeks.

I get terrified about pulling onto the motorway. Once I'm on the motorway itself I am ok. Having said that, it's years since I've driven on one. I feel like a total wimp being scared of it when so many people drive on motorways all teh time without a second thought.

How about a Pass Plus course? It'll cover motorways, night driving, country driving etc

bellabelly thats exactly how I feel - total fear as I approach the motorway and I feel a total wimp for not being able to do it. have you ever been able to drive on them ? Annoyingly I used to drive them all the time without a second thought !

Yes mousemole I have driven on motorways quite a few times when it has been unavoidable. Have actually even driven on the German autobahn which I was terrified of doing - DH had twisted his ankle and couldn't drive for a couple of days. But I always feel stressed about actually getting onto the motorway. You have to build up a fair speed don't you and I just get really scared that there's going to be a car in teh slow lane that's not going to move over and let me in.

When it is DH driving and I'm just the passenger, I still feel a bit anxious about it but much less so.

strangely I am fine when other people are driving me on a motorway. I get this hideous feeling that I am going to pass out - tunnel vision, feeling shaky and sick etc.
Bizaarly i drove on a mmajorcan motorway and was fine ?!

I can definately recommend some motorway driving lessons, I just passed my test and had one as part of my pass plus and it was sooooo helpful, gave me loads of confidence because for that hour I knew someone was there to back my decisions up and he had the dual controls. Good luck xx