Fear of Hwy Driving?

[skyking1]

We've had friends who will not drive the interstates, and they have marginal vision. That seems to be the common denominator.
I am doing less of it for quality of life. There are some really nice and nearly as fast or faster routes that I have found for getting downtown. All it takes is one boo-boo in the interstate for a really bad day.

 

[JoeWras]

2) Conversely, do not look where you don't want to go. For example if you're worried about the semi next to you, try to not focus on it because that would cause you to naturally veer into it. Pilots learn this concept quickly - really helps.

I believe they call this "Target Fixation." It is real, and dangerous. Don't pull over on the shoulder unless you absolutely must (car is dead). Flat tire? Try to roll it off to the next exit. Better to ruin a rim or axle than die. People fixate on pulled over cars all the time.

I keep pointing out, even though the other cars/trucks are driving 75 instead of 55, the stats say that you are ~ 4x safer on the divided highways. Mostly because there is no head-on traffic, no cross traffic, fewer stops, no pedestrians, no bikes, etc.

And even at 75mph, the difference in speed between us and the other cars is only a few mph. A collision is typically going to be far less damaging than hitting a car crossing you, or hitting you head on.

Yes, but... The PIT maneuver. Or in this case, the non-precision idiot causes you to spin out maneuver. Watch some dashcams and see people minding their own business go for a 3 or 4 rolls after an idiot PITs them because of a simple lane change sideswipe, and they catch the shoulder sideways. This is where a sedan is safer. SUVs love to roll after they catch an edge.

Example: https://www.reddit.com/r/IdiotsInCa...r_driver_was_minding_their_own_business_when/

 

[rk911]

the last time I was afraid to drive on a highway was likely the first time I had to drive on a highway back in the late 60's. I've driven our motor homes coast-to-coast many, many times over the past 35-years, mostly on interstates.

 

[LateToFIRE]

I believe they call this "Target Fixation." It is real, and dangerous. Don't pull over on the shoulder unless you absolutely must (car is dead). Flat tire? Try to roll it off to the next exit. Better to ruin a rim or axle than die. People fixate on pulled over cars all the time.

Yes, learned about target fixation long time ago in flight training. Once I understood it, I observed it in everything, whether piloting a car, a boat, a plane, a bicycle, anything, whenever your vision focuses on an object or direction you naturally steer towards it, usually with dire consequences. But, I never thought about it in terms of pulled over highway vehicles, yikes!

 

[braumeister]

If you really want to learn how to drive safely, take the course that over the road truck drivers take.

I did it years ago, and it changed my driving style forever. Learn to anticipate what's ahead and what those nutty drivers may do that can put you in a bad spot. At my age (80), and still driving long distances on highways, I still practice laying back in the pack and watching for the actions of other drivers.

Very good advice. While in college, I had a summer job with the phone company and they gave us a couple of days of driver training using the Smith System. That has stayed with me ever since, and probably accounts for my success (so far) as a safe driver.

 

[MC Rider]

I like going a little faster than the flow on a multilane freeway with a lot of traffic. Especially on the moto, people are much less likely to rear end you. On a 2 lane it is a moot point.


As for merging onto the the Freeway, I always wanted to wind it up and fly a bit if possible. The Monster 1200 would go from 0 to insane! in 2 or 3 seconds. I frequently had to slow down to merge at the end of the on ramp.

 

[gamboolman]

mg gamboolgal is afraid to drive. I do all the driving and that's OK.
She will not drive anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary.
My Grandmother lived on the Farm all her life and never learned to drive. ms gamboolgal would be happy being like that... but that's about as far as being a farm girl would go with her

As traffic increases it means for more congestion and unfortunately, whatever the Posted Speed Limit is - folks seem to go over it by 5 to 10 mph no matter what.

In town, Stop Sign and Red Light Running are bad, at least down here in Houston.

We bought Front and Rear Video Cameras so at least we can have the Option of having Video to show Insurance and Law the video in the case of a accident.

We enjoy going on extended Road Trips. Lots of time, probably most of the time, we'll take the backroads thru small town America and look over the country.

We can make spontaneous stops in a interesting location and just adjust the itinerary and hotels accordingly.

We're planning and looking forward to a couple of Tournament Poker Road Trips including the Southern Poker Holiday Bash up in Bossier City, LA and just after New Year's the Million Dollar Heater in Biloxi. Many dozens of Raw Oysters will be had with all the fixings chased by cold beers

Heads Up for yawls 2024 Trip planning: The 29th Annual Uncle Earls Hog Dog Trials in Winfield, Louisiana will be coming up in ~March 2024. Do recommend as it's a real hoot to go and see the dogs baying the hogs....makin Bacon
https://www.facebook.com/p/Uncle-Earls-Hog-Dog-Trial-Inc-100068015320840/

For some good music and Boudin - we're going to the Scott Boudin Festival in Scott, Louisiana over April 5,6 & 7. Good food and music is hard to beat.
https://www.facebook.com/ScottBoudinFestival

And get ready for Platters of Boiled Mud Bugs at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, May 3-5, 2024.
https://www.lafayettetravel.com/events/annual-events-festivals/crawfish-festival/

Who can't plan on attending the Marshall Fire Ant Festival
https://www.ktalnews.com/lovinglivinglocalnbc6/fireant-festival-a-charming-celebration-of-community/

We'll be attending 40th ANNUAL TOMATO FEST, Saturday, June 8th, 2024 in Jacksonville, Texas
My Grandparents and Mother supplies many hundreds of Bushels of Tomatoes and Tractor Trailer loads of Water Melons to Jacksonville over many decades Post WW2 from their farm in East Texas.
https://www.jacksonvilletexas.com/tomato-fest/

It's good to be retired....

And ms gamboolgal will never sat behind the steering wheel....

 

[LateToFIRE]

Very good advice. While in college, I had a summer job with the phone company and they gave us a couple of days of driver training using the Smith System. That has stayed with me ever since, and probably accounts for my success (so far) as a safe driver.

I briefly checked out the Smith System - contains a lot of good stuff, especially about scanning (rather than fixating), anticipating/reading the situation, defensively leaving yourself an out, and just being continually aware of whats around you.

One other thing, with respect to night driving in particular is learning how to preserve your night vision - hard to do with headlights constantly in your eyes. What I try to do is kinda look away from the headlights in that brief moment of blindness so that my eyes can readjust faster.

Also, and I know alcohol + driving is a very debatable [and triggering] subject, but while folks are generally aware alcohol impairs reaction time, what is less known is that any amount of alcohol has a severely negative effect on night vision. If I do have anything (limited to very moderate) to drink before getting behind the wheel [of a car], I very consciously adjust my driving to a slower speed, greater distance between vehicles, routes with less traffic, etc. greater caution, because I know vision and reaction time will be less than ideal. I also STOP consuming at least 1-2 hours before time to leave.

 

[splitwdw]

Who has it and how have you overcome it? Any advice welcome!

Is this new or have you always had this feeling? If you've always had this you may not be a confident driver. Take a driving class. Is it do to a physical problem like eyesight? Can that be fixed? More information would help.
I've been to driving schools for work and for racing but I've always been a confident driver.

 

[MC Rider]

You will never get comfortable if you don't do it.
Driving in this case, or whatever.

You don't have to buy Nike shoes. Just do it.

 

[skyking1]

No fear driving, but I get nervous driving interstate roads that are a solid sheet of ice, high winds, with semi trucks jackknifing all over the place.

Funny how that works
I drive this 70,000 pound hot mess from time to time, 55 feet from bumper to tail lights and 8'6" wide.

One time the job superintendent tried to demand that I take the rig out in those conditions to a job on a steep hill.
What could go wrong?
He failed to threaten, cajole, or otherwise manipulate me to be stupid.
Karma was swift that day. He spun out into the median of the freeway and sat there 4 hours because the tow trucks were a little busy.

 

[misanman]

No problem here with highway driving at age 77. Just got back from Pasadena (CA) where we transported grandkids for ten days. A fair amount of that was on major highways (210, 134, I5). I will say that I don't necessarily look forward to driving on 12 lane (6+6) highways in greater LA with a rental car and not being familiar with the route/destination. But we managed. "Normal" highway driving, such as for a long trip, is rather relaxing for me.

 

[OldShooter]

... I don't necessarily look forward to driving on 12 lane (6+6) highways ...

I prefer 3 lanes each way, max 4, because driving in anything but the outside lanes leaves me nowhere to go if things get exciting. Typically I will move to the leftmost lane and match the traffic speeds. If someone comes up behind me and is obviously wanting to go faster I will often move one lane to the right and let them by.

 

[jpeter1093]

My only concern on limited access highways interstates, major state roads) are spots where I have to cross completely across 3 or more lanes in less than 2 miles on a busy highway. You try to depend on the kindess on other drivers seeing your directional signal and giving you a break, but around major cities that tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

That shouldn't be an issue if using a GPS; you'll know miles in advance of the upcoming turn. If you don't have GPS; there are still highway signs miles in advance. If you find yourself in that pickle, you only have yourself to blame. Continue to the next exit and circle back.

 

[MC Rider]

Originally Posted by jollystomper
My only concern on limited access highways interstates, major state roads) are spots where I have to cross completely across 3 or more lanes in less than 2 miles on a busy highway. You try to depend on the kindess on other drivers seeing your directional signal and giving you a break, but around major cities that tends to be the exception rather than the rule.


This where I accelerate quickly and just butt in. With a 4 wheeler anyway. Just time it so I don't have to brake check them.

 

[FindingForward]

I understand the concept of looking ahead vs right in front of you, but when you drive a compact sedan and everyone from 18 to 90 is driving massive SUVs and pickup trucks, not to mention the commercial vehicles, it's almost impossible to see anything beyond the rear of the car in front - even allowing for a little distance between my vehicle and theirs.

Few people seem to drive cars anymore. I see many younger kids driving gigantic SUVs and pickups their parents bought them and have no clue or training on how to safely operate a much larger, heavier vehicle. They slam their brakes at the last min, tailgate aggressively and just make the roads 1000x more hazardous for those of us who have smaller cars.

I prefer sedans over SUVs, but not sure that's a wise choice anymore.

 

[Pellice]

Who has it and how have you overcome it? Any advice welcome!

YES! I (late 60s) have been fighting a growing fear of driving on interstates and limited access highways for years. I fear I am losing the battle. I go rigid, sweaty palms, light-headedness even when driving relatively flat stretches. Sometimes I pull over to the shoulder to compose myself. Mountains are out. It has cut down on my quality of life.

I know I need to keep driving. I have wasted time and money doing "practice drives" on high speed routes. It is all anxiety - I don't have vision or balance problems, I don't have other health issues. The weird thing is, I'm not anxious about anything else. It doesn't spill over into other areas of my life. It's just driving.

It's so irrational. I've driven safely for my entire life. No traumatic accident. I tell myself my car IS under my control, it IS NOT going to fly off the road, to look at the cars around me. But I can't seem to convince my emotions. I am currently seeing a therapist in relation to the problem, but I don't think it's getting better. I know I have to do better.

 

[zippy2020]

Age 71 and yeah, a little more cautious than I used to be. One big reason why I bought a 2017 with the complete safety package. Would love the new 360-degree camera views now available but our front/rear cameras, plus blindspot warning lights, are good enough for now.

Driving at night is harder - aging means you do not see contrast as well as before; i.e., the many shades of grey-to-black. You may have 20/20 vision, but your sensitivity to low-contrast conditions decreases as you age.

"... By about age 60, the human eye requires three times more light to see than at age 20. This normal decline in vision makes driving at dusk and in dark conditions more challenging for seniors. " https://www.idrivesafely.com/defensive-driving/trending/senior-drivers-need-more-light-drive-safely#:~:text=By%20about%20age%2060%2C%20the,sunglasses%20while%20driving%20at%20night.

I drive slower (but remain within traffic flow) if:
- it's night, especially unlit highways or streets
- I'm unfamiliar with the route
- Inclement weather conditions

I also bought an SUV that did well on all the NHTSA tests, LOL.

 

[jollystomper]

That shouldn't be an issue if using a GPS; you'll know miles in advance of the upcoming turn. If you don't have GPS; there are still highway signs miles in advance. If you find yourself in that pickle, you only have yourself to blame. Continue to the next exit and circle back.

I should clarify, this is when you are coming onto the highway from an entrance ramp, and have to exit off the the highway in less than 2 miles and that exit is on the opposite side of the highway.

 

[skyking1]

I should clarify, this is when you are coming onto the highway from an entrance ramp, and have to exit off the the highway in less than 2 miles and that exit is on the opposite side of the highway.

Those are wicked. I had one that I did regularly with a work truck in Seattle, coming from Redmond on the 520 floating bridge and then having to bust over 4 lane changes to get off I-5 at Mercer Street. Only the grace of the drivers made it possible.

 

[steady saver]

I'm okay with highway driving if I'm out of the city...that kind of highway driving is easy and not a big deal for me. But I do find that I dislike highway driving in the city and going in and out of cities very much. And driving highways in the dark. Houston drivers, Austin drivers...it's so stressful. We were recently in Seattle and that was even worse. The two things that help me are 1) make myself do it otherwise it's worse and 2) the Tesla is a much better car than my Prius for giving me that kick of speed when merging onto a highway for example. Plus it's heavier so it gives me some peace of mind.
My mother was always afraid of highway driving, as far back as I can remember. I vowed that I would not limit myself like she did. I drove highways to get back and forth for work for years. Driving everyday, you get used to it. Now I don't have to and I admit it is hard sometimes, but I don't want my world to get narrowed too fast. I am 60.

 

[houstenh]

Hi. My wife has the same problem and I refuse to drive my motorcycle on the interstate. I have always been able to find an alternate route. Don't worry about it.

 

[Happy30]

I loved driving for most of my life but now I cannot stand being on a freeway because of all the idiots and sooo many semi trucks! You are not alone!

 

[Katsmeow]

I am not fearful, but I don't enjoy driving on some freeways. Others are fine. When I still lived in Texas I got to a point where I refused to go from Houston to DFW on I45. The crazy truck drivers just made it anxiety producing and I was only a passenger!

The other type of highway that I don't enjoy are those that make you quickly, say, enter and then have to go across 4 lanes of traffic to get to the exit you need to make.

Yesterday, I was on a highway where I was in the left lane (I was about to exist left) and it was right next to a high concrete barrier. The driving was OK but I felt claustrophobic.

In most of the above situations I just try to avoid them as much as possible. Other highways are fine. I am much more likely now to reroute my drive to a way that I find the drive more pleasant and less stressful even if a little slower.

I did have a very stressful non-highway driving experience yesterday. We recently moved to Delaware and I drove to Lancaster, PA yesterday to go to a restaurant. Going there only required going behind one horse and buggy (which shortly turned off the road).

When we left about 5:30 apparently everyone was out and about as I think I had to around at least 10 horse and buggy drivers. That was usually stressful because you were on a two lane road and you had to go into the other lane to pass (these roads did not mostly have buggy lanes) which I didn't love. The first few horse and buggy drivers were interesting to see and pass. Somewhere around the 4th or 5th of them I was sort of done. It did require more attention driving because you had to be mindful you were coming up on one, had to go around while avoiding having any incoming traffic and had to get far enough ahead of them when going back in the lane.

 

[Koolau]

One thing the pro racing schools teach (and I have been to a couple) and I have coached from time to time is the driver's eye point. Most drivers are looking too close to the car. This makes it feel like things are happening too fast, causes a lot of steering wheel movements, and is very tiring. At highway speeds we are traveling at around 100 feet per second, so looking inside that 100 feet is a waste of mental energy; you cannot react fast enough to do anything anyway.

So the prescription for that (if that is the problem) is to make a game out of trying to minimize steering wheel movements. To do this, one must move their eye point farther and farther ahead of the car, making earlier but smaller and smaller steering corrections. Infrequent and small correction are much more relaxing and make it feel like things are happening more slowly and comfortably.

A good example is driving in a lane with traffic cones on both sides. Looking well ahead it will be obvious that there is plenty of space between the lines of cones but looking close to the car makes it feel like the cones are closing in and maybe attacking.

I had an employee once who bought a sporty car that his wife initially hated because the steering felt too quick, the car was darty, and it made her nervous. A week of two of learning to look farther ahead and trying to minimize steering wheel movements solved the problem.

This eye point stuff may have nothing to do with the OP's fear of highway driving, but then it might. Some time spent trying to drive with minimum steering wheel movement should tell the tale.

Eye-point is especially important in flying an aircraft - especially during landing. You really can't see over the nose, so you have to look out the side - but you can't fixate on stuff rushing by. It's more of a "muscle memory" guided by a general view of the surroundings. It takes a lot of practice to nail it (grease it on in pilot parlance.)

My only issue with highway driving is - I really don't like to drive much at night, especially in heavy truck traffic.