Weird driving behavior because of social phobia?

[chrisjurban]

I notice that social phobia even affects my driving. While driving, I am extremely conscious of the other drivers on the road. I can't allow my music to be audible at a stop light, and dread having my window open next to another open window lest the music I'm listening to be heard. I feel terrible if I feel like I am slowing down the car behind me because I'm going too slow. I feel like other cars (I almost anthropomorphize the cars) like me more if I go fast like them and sometimes speed up a lot to make sure I'm not slowing down the car behind me, making moves that go against my common sense. I feel like other cars have expectations for me, and if I don't fulfill them I feel really bad.

 

[chrisjurban]

Yeah man, I have OCD too, but what's weird is that I find that I can actually control my compulsions pretty well with just pure willpower. Except for things like drawing a five-sided figure on my hands when my fingers brush together, I do that kind of subconsciously.

 

[Sorta]

I'll often speed off if I get anxious near another driver or something. The visor on my helmet and the windows on my car are all blacked out too, helps me feel a lot more comfortable.

 

[SickCycleCarousel]

I can definitely relate.

When I was learning to drive - if another car was behind me - I would get really anxious and I would start to feel rushed.

I don't have my license for that exact reason.

 

[awkwardamanda]

I just feel like driving makes me anxious. It's not really social anxiety in that case. People just scare me on the road. So many drivers are just too aggressive and think they're above the traffic laws. And I'm always worried I won't react quick enough if something goes wrong. I don't trust myself and I don't trust anyone around me. If anything spooks me I just feel awful. I prefer to avoid busy streets and keep my driving trips short and near home.

 

[Ravens]

I don't drive, but I know for a fact this is how I'd feel too heh.

 

[Bama_Heath]

I can totally relate to this. I become obsessed with wondering what other drivers are thinking in relation to my own driving. The worst part is when I'm trying to cross a 4 lane Hwy to the left and have to cross past the oncoming traffic and I feel like everyone else behind me just wants to turn right with the flow of traffic. I start getting really really anxious about them waiting on me to just go. I feel pressured to pull out in front of traffic and nail the gas when I really shouldn't. It's a terrible feeling.

 

[Falkor]

I don´t have a driver-license , but i have drived.. ::
But I know exactly how you feel, I feel so self concious when i'm driving, I feel like everybody is staring at me and I feel like a nervous freak.
I really don't feel comfortable , But I would LOVE to drive!
Because I really love it.. Even though I feel anxiety. I'm gonna do it.
But It's hard for me to get my driving-license now.. Because i'm going to a mental hospital first... :/ For 6 weeks. Diagnosis research. To get help.

But hey, i know exactly how you feel. Ur not alone

 

[Eam]

I notice that social phobia even affects my driving. While driving, I am extremely conscious of the other drivers on the road. I can't allow my music to be audible at a stop light, and dread having my window open next to another open window lest the music I'm listening to be heard. I feel terrible if I feel like I am slowing down the car behind me because I'm going too slow. I feel like other cars (I almost anthropomorphize the cars) like me more if I go fast like them and sometimes speed up a lot to make sure I'm not slowing down the car behind me, making moves that go against my common sense. I feel like other cars have expectations for me, and if I don't fulfill them I feel really bad.

Well you've just described me there!

A couple of others:

- When at traffic lights I fiddle around with things, radio, glove compartment open up a packet of chewing gum because the guy behind watching me makes me anxious.

- Parallel parking holding up traffic while I try and manoeuvre into a spot like this. I avoid this completely.

 

[JamieD]

This is what made me give up on my lessons. I sucked on observation, i just felt like an idiot behind the wheel when other drivers were watching me. Urhhh.

 

[Eilonwy]

This is why I'm so scared of getting my driver's license. I've never driven before in my life, but just the thought of it, makes me certain that I would feel the exact sense of anxiety everyone here has described. I can imagine that it just feels like you're right there out in the world, exposed, with everyone judging your coordination of your car. For some reason, I think this would produce more anxiety for me than being surrounded by people.

 

[tarns83]

- Parallel parking holding up traffic while I try and manoeuvre into a spot like this. I avoid this completely.

Hehe, this is me too. I especially hate reversing back into a carpark, which is hard to avoid in my job (law enforcement). We have to reverse into carparks in order to make a quick getaway if it comes to it. You'd think I'd be good at it by now.. but alas..

I don't really mind much about other drivers on the road, but I do care about what the passengers in my car think about my driving.

I deal with the anxiety by joking about it.. Every successful parallel park/reverse park gets a little victory dance when its done lol. People I work with now know I don't like to drive, but they wouldn't have guessed it's because I don't want them to disapprove of my driving!

 

[DanFC]

At last, somebody has expressed my driving experiences.