For many car owners, driving can be a lot of fun. Many Nigerian drivers feel an extra level of pride when they get to cruise around in that expensive piece of an automobile or some kind of old-school classic ride.
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However, there are others who spring up a lot of fear. While there are those who naturally fear driving, there are also those whose driving phobia is a result of a past traumatic driving incident that made them give up driving.
Post-traumatic driving fear is a condition when a person struggles to get past an accident experience and get back to their normal way of life. While this is paid very little attention in Nigeria, there are many who struggle to cope with traumatic incidents.
The truth remains that most people struggle with this condition and find it hard to get back to driving without fear.
Helpful Way to Overcome Post-Accident Driving Phobia
Below, we highlight helpful tips for people struggling with post-accident driving fear to overcome these hurdles and get back to driving freely.
- Try Starting Over as a Beginner Driver
For people who are struggling with the most severe form of post-accident fear, it’s usually recommended that they start over. The idea behind this is to take the pressure off you, as you walk your way up and gradually get used to driving freely again without those doubts and anxieties.
To help you go through this, it is advised that you enlist the help of a registered and professional driving school. They will put you through the Basic Driving Refresher Course or the Defensive Driving Course which is by far the better option, especially for people struggling with post-accident driving fear.
- Talk About Your Fears
Talking about a traumatic experience to someone you trust is known to help people experiencing post-trauma disorder cope and heal faster. So please talk about the accident, and don’t be ashamed, as this is one of the fastest routes to overcoming your fear and getting back to driving freely.
However, it is best that you focus less on the negative aspects of the crash, rather your focus should be put more on how you make the best efforts to avoid the accident and minimize the damage. Generally, focus on the positives of an otherwise unfortunate event.
- Seek Medical Help
People react differently to trauma, while for some persons, they can get back on their feet and back to normalcy in no time, others take longer to get back themselves. For such persons, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder becomes a real problem.
Depending on the severity of the condition experienced by the person, some form of medical help will be essential to help the person cope with the anxiety and panic attacks that accompany this kind of health disorder.
Conclusion
If you’ve been in an accident recently and you seem to be struggling with anxiety and panic attacks when it comes to driving, then consider seeking medical help, and backing it up with relearning how to drive as a beginner.
