Feeling of fear when driving: Why it’s important & how to overcome it

Anticipate potential situations and drive slowly. I’ve rarely touched 3 digit speeds so far.

BHPian SS-Traveller recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Most drivers on Indian roads are not afraid to drive. However, I believe fear is a healthy psychological response when one drives, largely because it helps keep us safe. So what are the reasons that should generate fear in our minds while driving? Which of these is your biggest fear while driving? Or are there any other reasons?

However, there are various ways to overcome our fear of driving.

Which of these means do you employ to overcome your fear of driving?

Or are you completely fearless, and feel absolutely invincible while driving?

Let us hear your views.

Here’s what GTO had to say on the matter:

1. I most definitely feel fear & that’s the main, sole & only reason I don’t own a motorcycle. As much as I l-o-v-e to ride bikes. No motorcycles for me and I have accepted that.
2. With cars, I’m cautious, but no real fear when driving in the city. On the highway though, I do have a little bit of fear and a whole lot of caution due to the speeds and all those big trucks/buses around us.
3. I drive with a heavy right foot sporadically when I’m in a safe / big / high-end car. But if I am test-driving a Maruti or Hyundai hatchback on the expressway, I drive very, very conservatively.

Here’s what BHPian married had to say on the matter:

The phrase in Hindi – jo dar gaya, samjho mar gaya (those who fear are as good as dead) is my guiding mantra. My fears on the road and how I overcome these are as follows

1. Near misses, and potential encounters with ruffians

• Anticipate potential situations, and drive slowly. I’ve rarely touched 3 digit speeds so far. My target is to hit an average speed of 65kmph and I do that with extremely superior judgement of the road ahead, relative speed of my vehicle vs the ones I need to overtake etc.
• Observe for the impatient drivers and let them pass
• Drive in the centre or left lane and avoid the right lane as far as possible

2. Potential breakdowns (trust me, the deeper you know a car, the more you know what can go wrong, and that is an element of fear) – overcome this by a very close watch on the car. I check the engine bay, fluid levels, underside and wheels for potential troubles once a week at least

To sum up, I use all the five elements that @SS-Traveller has outlined in overcoming “fear”.

Here’s what BHPian NPV had to say on the matter:

I’m definitely not a fearless driver and I think most of the “fearsome” items on the list apply to me when driving:

1. Fear of accidents: One can never be overconfident on our roads with reckless driving, overspeeding, wrong-side driving, oversized/overloaded vehicles, and road rage being all too common. The fear of accidents helps me stay focused and drive defensively (don’t have a certification though) using common sense and my experience of driving in the USA 2 decades ago
2. Breakdown: I bought the Harrier a few months ago and had apprehensions after reading some of the experiences and it was at the back of my mind initially. However, after 2000+Km of driving (call them familiarisation outings mostly solo or with one or two good friends) on highways around Bangalore, I’d developed more trust and confidence in the vehicle. But one never knows when Murthy’s law will kick in – on the very first highway trip outside Bangalore with the family, this happened! Touchwood, nothing after this incident though.
3. Damage to vehicle: With way too many idiots on our roads, one can never be careless, all the more reason to anticipate sudden, unexpected things to happen on our roads. Body shop visits are painful and expensive, better to avoid as best we can.
4. Breaking the law: I’m a stickler for following traffic rules and I avoid overspeeding, and jumping red lights and can never imagine driving on the wrong side! However, sometimes because of the height of vehicles in front, lack of lane discipline and positioning of traffic lights in our cities, it is quite easy to miss an amber light and end up “signal jumping” (stopping just ahead of the stop/limit line). This fear makes me stay very alert and cautious when nearing traffic lights.
5. Unknown: This one generally keeps me alert to look for any signs around that could indicate a potential danger up ahead. I also make it a point to let the faster vehicles who tail too closely, pass me as soon as possible. Another fear is that of getting rear-ended, so I try not to brake too suddenly in normal circumstances.

Here’s what BHPian BlackPearl had to say on the matter:

I had once attended a safe driver’s course and the instructor told me that driving is one of the scariest things she does daily and that meant a lot when her day job was as a jailor in a high-security prison. Many years back I would not have agreed to that because we usually tend to be aggressive and somewhat reckless when we are young, I mean the ones who have a love for speed, but I have reached an age where causing injury to others is the highest on my list of fear. Rest everything can more or less be fixed.

The second on my list would be fear of a breakdown in high-risk/desolate areas and the third would be damage to car, but that has reduced over the years. I don’t think I have any other fear.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.