Panic Attacks: Who Suffers When Drivers Get Anxiety?

By Melanie Fleury Last updated Aug 8, 2013 17

Panic attacks are basically feelings of intense anxiety or fear about something. In almost all cases, triggers of these attacks are unknown. However, they can start to occur as the result of a traumatic event such as any type of accident, assault and battery, loss, war or other situation. These attacks can occur and start at any time of day. They also usually begin without any notice and usually become more lengthy over time. When it comes to the already stressful activity of driving, panic attacks add a very dangerous element that can affect the safety of the driver, passengers, other motorists and the public. Symptoms of Panic Attacks generally reach a peak within a ten minute period and generally can include several of the following symptoms:

Sweating

Blurred vision

Shortness of breath

Chills or hot flushes

Shaking or trembling

Dizziness or feeling faint

Chest discomfort or pain

Heart racing or pounding

Abdominal distress or nausea

Unlike other situations, the consequences of a driver panic attack are far more dangerous, given the fact that vehicles are potentially lethal machines. Below are some of the most serious effects of having panic attacks while driving.

1. Accidents are the most disastrous of all consequences of panic attacks on the road. As one auto accident attorney in Miami Florida states, an accident can be financially, mentally, and physically devastating. Since they leave people confused and disoriented, people become incapable of driving safely.

As a result, it is easy for a vehicle to collide with another vehicle, stop suddenly and cause other accidents as a result. Because there is no warning, drivers, other motorists and passengers face immediate danger which could result in a painful and expensive accident, not to mention a fatality.

2. Medical bills and loss of work create financial circumstances that some people may never recover from. For instance, long term medical care or job loss can impact drivers, passengers and other individuals and families in devastating ways.

3. Once a vehicle accident occurs, the driver who had the panic attack and caused the accident will be subject to higher insurance rates. Sometimes, the rates have been increased such that it poses an extraordinary burden on their finances, increasing the likelihood of longer and more frequent panic attacks.

4. An inability to confront driving is another consequence of driver panic attacks. Once an attack occurs, a fear may develop that a panic attack may happen on the road, causing an accident or fatality. Therefore, people may start avoiding driving long distances, freeways or even at all. This not only can impact quality of life, but the ability to work and face personal, parental and familial obligations. When this much stress is placed upon a person’s family and friends, relationships can also rapidly deteriorate.

Ultimately, drivers who have panic attacks can easily put their friends, family, passengers and other motorists at risk. Much like other forms of distracted driving, the results of these types of accidents can last a lifetime and be devastating. Therefore, anyone who is suffering regular panic attacks should seek medical care and counseling to address the issue.

Rather than risk their lives and the lives of others, it is a good idea for panic sufferers to arrange for other forms of transportation such as car pooling or using public transportation until the episodes subside sufficiently.

Melanie Fleury is wife to a panic attack sufferer who has made the decision not to drive long distances so that an attack will not occur. She has also been the victim of a car accident and knows that hiring a lawyer, like auto accident attorney in Miami Florida Steinger, Iscoe, & Greene, can help relieve the stress of legal issues so that you are free to deal with physically and mentally reaching your ideal.