My dad got a rental car tonight (some moron who was texting while driving rearended him the other day) and my dad had me driving the rental tonight. I didnt tell him but I get really really nervous when I have to drive an unfamiliar car. It's also a bit more stressful if it's a car that's nicer than mine. (I have a Toyota Rav4...the rental is a Chrysler Sebring)

I was paranoid the whole time I was driving my dad back to the body shop to get his garage door opener, and then we went out for Greek food and I had to drive down the busy street where dad had his accident. Really stressed me out.

Rental car is really really nice, but for some reason I'm more comfy in my 10yr old Rav4. I did like the way the gear shift works in that rental tho.

Karilann,

Thank you for this interesting information. Now I know why Rhiannon cannot drive and has been too afraid to. She has been in control of the vehicle only once in several years now and she too felt that she was in a cartoon game (her words not mine). Moving at a rate so slow that it took a long time to travel just a short distance and she was highly anxious. When we reached the market she wanted to go to the slight rise of the driveway into the market looked to her like an almost sheer cliff and she panicked. I not knowing how to use the vehicle had to take over and negotiate the vehicle into a resting place for it. Then I had to return it to the cabin. Rhiannon did not come out for 2 days. It was a most traumatic time for her.

I thank you for giving this message, it allows me to understand her more, and better

I do have days when I would almost anything to avoid driving, but sometimes you just have no choice. I find listening to the radio helps get my mind off of worring about driving issues.

me too, it's a bummer to not be able to drive:/

also, i had driving anxiety as well, but mine was always when i pulled out or changed lanes i always had an image in my head of getting smashed. i'm sure it stems from a motorcycle accident i had in '02

Has anyone else noticed a new level of anxiety even when others drive? I am scared they wont see that car putting on its brakes, or that car pulling out at the driveway ahead, or that they are too busy talking and chatting to be paying attention to the road. Im a bad passenger! :o

Once, I was out with my boyfriend somewhere.

We were on I-80 here in Omaha, and we were going thru an area where there's lots of places to get on and off the interstate...lots of cars.

I was tired (insomniac) and I apparently fell asleep for about 10 or 20 seconds...woke up, saw a wall of cement on the side of the interstate and seriously thought we were about to hit it, and panicked.

Boyfriend gave me a hairy eyeball and looked at me sideways a lot that afternoon, and that was back when we had first started going out. So, at the time I couldnt blame it on the MS because I didnt know about it yet. (first big MS flare hit me 2yrs after meeting the boyfriend) I'm surprised he's still going out with me. The MS has made me have some weird reactions to being a passenger in a car.

I hate riding on the interstate. Constantly in a state of fear that the car is going to crash or a semi is going to squash us. When I'm driving, I do not drive the interstate at all, except maybe one stretch here in Omaha. Good thing I have a boyfriend who doesnt mind doing all the driving when we go places. (I help with gasoline at least for him.)

No more driving anxiety, since I'm in the Driving Miss Daisy part of my life. :D Now it's just riding anxiety.:eek:

Ditto on the passenger anxiety...but luckily I can still drive...it beats walking, which is not easy...