Anxiety Real World Story - Unlearning Fear of Driving

Gannett News Service, April 11, 2005

By Nelly Edmondson Gupta

Panic Attacks Force People Off the Roads

When it's snowing or raining, Sarah Bisconte, 46, a public relations specialist who lives and works in suburban New York, dons "a long, royal blue goose-down coat that makes me look like a cross between an astronaut and the Michelin Man," and walks five miles a day to and from work -- just as she does when the weather is nice.

It’s not just that Bisconte likes to exercise, although she does. It's that despite living in an area where most people depend on their cars to get through the day, she doesn't drive.

Although Bisconte got her license at 19, she drove only once and then, feeling too frightened to continue, stopped. "I turned a corner -- I took the turn too wide -- and saw the face of the woman in an oncoming car," recalls Bisconte. "I could tell she thought I was going to hit her. After that, I said, 'I don't want to drive; you'll never get me to drive. Forget it.' "

Bisconte is far from alone. There are no firm statistics on the number of people with driving fears, but social worker Judy Chessa, coordinator for an anxiety and phobia center in White Plains, N.Y., says they are quite common, especially among women.

Fear of Driving and Agoraphobia

According to Dr. Fredric Neuman, director of the center, a fear of driving actually is a form of agoraphobia, the literal definition of which is a fear of "open spaces." However, agoraphobics are not necessarily afraid of open spaces; rather, they are afraid of having panicky feelings, wherever these feelings might occur. "People are really afraid that they are going to go out of control," says Neuman. "They fear that they'll start screaming, vomit, soil themselves or lose control of the wheel. They think if a feeling gets very strong, it will translate into action."

The fear of driving is among the top three phobias treated at the center.

Many nondrivers have relatives with similar fears, and some have had a traumatic experience behind the wheel. Some nondrivers once relied on a now-deceased spouse for mobility, and there are those who can drive in their own neighborhoods but not on highways. Regardless of the variation, says Chessa, most suburbanites with driving fears wish they could climb courageously behind the wheel. "Even though they make excuses and manipulate their lives around it, many of them come to a point where they say, 'I don't want to live like this any more.' "

Unlearning a fear of driving can be painful. When they begin to tackle the problem, people might experience heart palpitations, blurry vision and rubbery legs, and they often imagine horrible scenarios, including crashing the car, says Chessa.

The Key to Success

The key to success, she explains, is to realize that one can be afraid -- very afraid -- and still function. "Despite how you are feeling, there is always something you can do. You can slow down, put on your flashers, or even pull over or get off at the next exit."

Interestingly, in an age where medication often is used to help people cope, it is used only sparingly in those with a fear of driving.

Although Neuman sometimes prescribes antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs to people with underlying depression or panic disorder, if a person has what he calls a "simple" driving phobia, he steers clear of medication.

Neuman is a strong advocate of other tools, including cell phones (after a driver has pulled over, of course) and the trip- planning Web site Mapquest.