You may have walked away from a car accident without a scratch, but that does not mean that you are 100% comfortable with driving again. Getting back behind the wheel can be a really intimidating and scary thing. Your nerves are all over the place. An accident will affect you psychologically as well as physically (if you happened to be injured during the accident). So, it’s no wonder that some people really struggle to get back behind the wheel.
You might be thinking that if it can happen once, then it can happen again. A lot of people live in a bubble and think that nothing can happen to them but getting into a car accident is not something that people can expect to happen. It’s something that can happen in the blink of an eye. But when you look up things like this California injury news, it’s obvious that car accidents happen all the time. Some of them are only a minor bump, but others can be a lot more fatal. So how do you get your confidence back after an accident? Keep on reading to find out how…
Write and Talk About Your Accident
Rather than talking about your accident, you might find it a lot easier to write about your accident at the start. Your memories might be all jumbled up and you might only be able to make sense of them when you write them down. Writing a narrative of your accident can help you face the trauma and deal with any emotions that you might have. You should repeat this exercise until it is no longer upsetting.
Once you feel more comfortable with what happened, you should then make sure to talk to someone about it. Talk to your friends or family, as this will help ease any fear or anxiety that you might have. You’ll feel better for telling them how you feel, rather than bottling it all in. Make sure you put an emphasis on the fact that you are safe and survived the accident, this will help you be constructive in your recovery.
Start Off Small
If you need to, you can a little time to feel more confident to get back behind a wheel. However, you should not put this off and instead should make sure to start off small. If it will make you feel safer, you can also get a friend or family member to come with you as well, as this way if things get too much they can take over. You will also feel more comfortable when you have someone sat next to you, as they can help guide you if needs be.
Don’t go on a long road trip though, as you will probably find that this becomes quite a stressful journey and is something that you should build up to. You should do a drive around somewhere quiet so that you can get used to everything again, and then make sure you drive along a road that you know. If your car accident occurred on your commute to work, don’t avoid that crash site, instead drive there with a friend first. You shouldn’t change your route, as this can be counterproductive in helping you feel more comfortable driving again.
Take a Defensive Driving Course
If you still feel a bit wary of getting behind the wheel, then taking a defensive driving course can be a great help to you. Not only will it help you gain confidence, but you will also find that it can help you sharpen your skills which might make you feel more assured getting back behind the wheel. You might also find that getting back behind a wheel, without anything bad happening can help decrease your anxiety.
A defensive driving course is designed to help drivers recognise and analyse developing situations that could become more dangerous in the future. It helps people get out of their safe little bubble and realise that although you might be following the rules of the road, other people might make a mistake. This can help minimise risks, and make you feel more confident driving. If you are interested in information on what you should do after an accident though, then make sure to check out this ultimate guide here.