Anybody here ever gotten in a car accident and stopped driving for a little while?

[MusicEnthusiast]

Well, it happened to me over 3 years ago (Sept 2008), as I was a senior in high school who bought a used Camry from summer job savings. I got in an accident with 2 other cars on my way home, and being the last one in the accident, put at fault automatically. I had all insurance except collision repair for myself since my car was used, so my car wasn't covered and I took an $1800 loss. Since then, I've been attending a university an hour away from where I live without a car or insurance, since I don't need it.

I plan on driving again when I graduate in June 2013, but I feel so distant from the feeling of driving. I stopped abruptly after a bad experience, and I don't ever want it to happen again. Is there anybody here that can relate with me?

 

[rbrian]

I've had more accidents than I care to remember. After the first couple, I stopped for a couple of years, but then got bored with living five miles from anywhere with no public transport. I bought a motorbike, thinking that it would make me more careful - if you crash a modern car, it doesn't really hurt, but crashing a motorbike does.

After I felt I'd calmed down, and grown up, I bought a car again, but barely drove it - and never really returned to the love of driving I had as a teenager. This is, I think, a good thing - I sold my car, and my motorbike, and my house, and moved to an apartment in the city. I rediscovered trains and bicycles. I no longer need any powered personal transport, and I'm much better off, physically, financially, ecologically.

Occasionally I have to drive the work van, and I'm the only one who sticks to the speed limits. I'm a much better driver than I used to be, because I finally understand the responsibility of controlling a tonne or two of steel and plastic along narrow roads, populated by pedestrians and cyclists. My Mum tried to tell me all this when I was 17, but, of course, I knew everything and couldn't be told.

 

[zhenya]

I would strongly encourage you to look for a 'Street Survival' school in your area. These are not your typical driver's ed or insurance reduction courses, but rather a school taught by skilled instructors with the entire point being to learn how a vehicle handles at the limit, in a safe, closed environment. That means that you will actually drive your own vehicle and be forced to make emergency maneuvers so that you learn to feel what happens when you have to brake hard enough to engage your abs, corner hard enough to lose traction, or to even slide or spin completely. This will make you MUCH more comfortable when driving in the real world, because the next time you are confronted with an unexpected condition, you won't be experiencing it for the first time, and you'll be much more likely to remain calm and know what to do instinctively. You can find more information at http://www.streetsurvival.org/program-guide/

If for some reason, the Street Survival school is not available to you, perhaps you can find a friend who is a good driver who can spend some time with you. In snowy climates, large empty parking lots after a fresh snow are a good way to safely learn how to handle a car in a slide. There may be an autocross club in your area that runs schools where you can learn much of what you would get in the Street Survival school. The most important thing is to get some practice with your car at its limits so that you are not scared! Scared, nervous drivers are dangerous not only to themselves, but to everyone else on the road, so take the initiative and get some training. I applaud you for being willing to ask here for advice! Good luck.