# SOCIAL ANXIETY+DRIVING



## Benz88 (Dec 3, 2007)

*I wanted to know if you all think that people with social anxiety can be better drivers than people without it since it seems we are more aware of our surroundings so to speak?*


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## Not So Nervous Nelly (Feb 24, 2007)

No! because if you are anxious then you can't focus on what is around you. I have made driving mistakes when I was too nervous.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

I think I'm a pretty good driver, but I don't credit my SA for it.


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## TwilightCat (Mar 31, 2008)

Personally, no, 
I'm in the process of being formally certified or whatever it's called that I am mentally unfit to be given a driver's liscense, which my doctors have decided (and I agree with) based on my anxiety and associated symptoms.


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## Benz88 (Dec 3, 2007)

I'm sorry to hear that twilight cat,I guess I thought maybe some people with kind of mild SA it made them more aware drivers. I drove the other day and i felt like real paranoid so it forced me to pay attention to my surroundings. I guess it depends on the level of it.


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## IllusionOfHappiness (Sep 6, 2007)

I'm kinda terrified to drive, so I'd say no.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

i have no anxiety anymore driving with my GPS.


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## Benz88 (Dec 3, 2007)

yea i wanna get one when i get a car,cuz i am not that great with directions


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## Fangcor (Feb 10, 2008)

Well tomorow I have to drive in drivers ed and Im scared as....
and Im not a good driver.


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## EagerMinnow84 (Sep 1, 2007)

I am to freaked out to drive which has nothing to do with my SA. Thank goodness for public transportation.


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## Benz88 (Dec 3, 2007)

thats funny cuz im to freaked out to use public transportation


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## WhatsThePoint (Feb 6, 2008)

I feel that I'm a pretty good driver, but it definitely isn't because of my SA.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I teach others to drive.


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## Benz88 (Dec 3, 2007)

thats real good,are you a drivers ed teacher?


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## hellothere19 (Apr 25, 2008)

im a good driver, but the one thing i hate to do is drive with the windows down. this is my SA b/c i dont want people to hear the music im listening too. it sucks now b/c with the warm weather it gets really hot in there.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

driving makes me too self conscious and feel at fault for every little bad thing or driver mistake happens even if I can fight to argue whos right.


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## Benz88 (Dec 3, 2007)

I know what u mean Maven,I have been driving more lately and sometimes i get blowed at for makin a lil mistake and lately i try and ignore it and maybe ill honk my horn back cuz i think its pretty rude.


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## TorLin (Nov 14, 2006)

i like driving. second nature for me.


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## Michael W (Apr 30, 2008)

I'm a pretty good driver, I've never been in an accident and have only gotten one ticket, and that was for expired tags. I'm a pretty cautious driver but I love to drive, I love road trips and I would rather drive somewhere than fly.

driving provides me with an escape. I can just get in my car, turn up the stereo, light a smoke and cruise. It's very relaxing.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

I think it depends on the person really...but as for me, I absolutely can't stand to drive if anyone else is in the car with me(except my best friend because she never criticizes me or anything & doesn't make me nervous like everyone else does, for some reason--even my mom & dad make me nervous) or if I know somebody's watching me drive...it makes me too nervous which makes me drive not as good as I could. And if I drove, when I was with my husband..even if I was by myself my sister in law was a weirdo and looked out her window constantly(seriously, I think she only moved her eyes away from the window when she had to go to the bathroom or something--if even then. She saw EVERYTHING that went on outside, literally) and one day I was backing out of the parking lot of the apartment and some guy's truck was pretty close so I was being slow & cautious because I was afraid I might hit his truck...and later she made fun of me about it and it made me want to slap her. And my other sister in law(my husband's brother's wife) already said once that I was a bad driver--but she didn't say it to my face like my husband's sister did--but she had told his sister that and then SHE told ME what she had said! Kinda pissed me off at both of them...but at least the other one never said it to my face. My husband's sister is just a cruel heartless person and she definitely DOES NOT care to hurt ANYONE's feelings. But after that I decided if either of them asked me to drive them anywhere--EVER-- I'd tell them to get off their fat asses and WALK, for all I cared! I refuse to do favors for people if all they're gonna do is criticize me and make fun of me.

But by myself I think I do fine. Except in big cities...But like around here...I think I do fine as long as I'm alone in the car.


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## embraer (Oct 17, 2007)

I love to drive, it's just the price of gas now thats keeping me of the roads more and more


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## jenro (Jul 2, 2008)

I hate driving and I'm scared of public transportation. I guess with my level of anxiety I do believe that it has made me a more aware driver, but I'm a person whose anxiety has cause them to be VERY aware of their surroundings in general. The weird thing is, I care so much about what people expect of me that I force myself to do things that cause me great anxiety. Ya wanna know what I did 2 days ago. Drove to LAX and back. I just moved to L.A. I was a FAHREAK. lol. My sister made me drive her there and when people believe I can do something I make myself believe it too. I kept saying over and over, "I can do this. stop your catastrophic thinking, you will not die if you get lost." I suppose it's a good thing and a bad thing. I still need to train my brain to think differently but at least I'm not letting the anxiety rule my life in certain aspects.


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## stopanxiety45 (Jul 2, 2008)

Benz88 said:


> *I wanted to know if you all think that people with social anxiety can be better drivers than people without it since it seems we are more aware of our surroundings so to speak?*


Being too anxious can cause sudden abrupt motions that may lead to accidents.


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## CoconutHolder (Oct 13, 2007)

I used to have terrible SA and well, general anxiety over everything wen I first started driving. That was when I was 19. I made a lot of dumb mistakes when my anxiety was at its height. I was worried about every little thing. I used to leave work at night without putting my headlights on and dumb things like that. I actually drove into a sign AT THE DRIVING CENTER once in the beginning! It was so embarrassing. But in my defense I was with an ******* who made me more nervous.

I'd say it took about 4 years of driving before my anxiety cooled down and I became a better driver. I think when you are a little more relaxed about it, you do better. You make more little mistakes when you are anxious and worried about everything.

Sometimes I still get a little self conscious about things, like if someone is stopped beside me, sometimes I'll feel momentarily frozen and want to look over. But am afraid if I look they'll be looking at me and I'll get really silly/nervous. Its weird but doesn't happen often anymore, thank God. 

But now, I really love driving and am very comfortable in the car. I've flipped ppl off (not that I recommend that) when they are assholes and beep at people, like if I see a boyfriend and girlfriend walking, holding hands, I'll beep at them just because I feel like it. Just weird things like that, I'm comfy in my car now and I like that. 

Its fun now. :yes


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## Perfectionist (Mar 19, 2004)

I'm 20 and last year drove around an empty parking lot at 10km hour a couple times and thought it (read: I) was pretty cool. Then another car turned into the lot and I freaked out like nobody's business. I can't handle the thought of other drivers being annoyed at me. 

I've convinced myself since then that all the cool kids take the bus. Really. 8)


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## LonelyEnigma (Jan 7, 2007)

My anxiety does not affect my driving. I actually have almost no fear when driving. I usually turn the music up and drive fast but in control. If their were no laws, I would drive very fast all the time. In fact, if given the opportunity, I would even hop in a race car and go for a spin at 200+ mph. I like the adrenaline rush.

My anxiety seems to be almost exclusively social. Despite my extreme shyness, many people would consider me daring, adventurous, and bold. Things like sky diving, bungee jumping, and rock climbing look fun not scary. 

I have more fear of the social interaction required to engage in daring activities than the activity itself. For example, if an acquaintance asked me if I wanted to go sky diving next week, I would spend the week worrying about the potential social issues I would face.... But I would not be worried about jumping out of a plane from thousands of feet above the ground; on the contrary, I would be excited.


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## danielk (Jun 4, 2008)

I drive well. When my agoraphobia was bad I couldn't drive very far before having to pull over and have a panic attack. However, after that, I drove emergency vehicles (ambulances) without a problem. Now I have to deal with this LA traffic. These people are actually polite. They still drive like morons, but they're not anything like those east-coast drivers.


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## CoconutHolder (Oct 13, 2007)

Me too, Enigma. I'd love to hop in a race car and haul *** fast as hell or go rock climbing. :yes 

But I don't think I could do skydiving or bungee jumping. :no


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## glennz20 (May 1, 2007)

I don't think SA improves my driving at all (and might even impede it sometimes, but impeded driving doesn't necessarily lead to a crash, for example I might become slightly anxious if someone walking along the footpath looks at me while driving, but there isn't any huge effect). But I don't think it hinders it either. Sometimes I'm completely relaxed when I'm driving, like the whole world is at my fingertips. Other times I just focus on the road, and am indifferent.


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## Slim Shady (Jun 24, 2008)

LonelyEnigma said:


> My anxiety does not affect my driving. I actually have almost no fear when driving. I usually turn the music up and drive fast but in control. If their were no laws, I would drive very fast all the time. In fact, if given the opportunity, I would even hop in a race car and go for a spin at 200+ mph. I like the adrenaline rush.
> 
> My anxiety seems to be almost exclusively social. Despite my extreme shyness, many people would consider me daring, adventurous, and bold. Things like sky diving, bungee jumping, and rock climbing look fun not scary.
> 
> I have more fear of the social interaction required to engage in daring activities than the activity itself. For example, if an acquaintance asked me if I wanted to go sky diving next week, I would spend the week worrying about the potential social issues I would face.... But I would not be worried about jumping out of a plane from thousands of feet above the ground; on the contrary, I would be excited.


 :ditto

One of my cousins and his friends invited me to a bungee jumping trip with them a month ago. I initially said yes but as the day came nearer, my anxiety grew worse and I pulled out the day before the trip without even giving a valid reason. They must've thought of me as one real freak.


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