So… I got my diver’s license as soon as I turned 18. It was a very stressful period of my life, and I hated everything about driving. They promised me freedom, but I got shackled.

Passing the exam as a nightmare (took me 3 attempts) and even during the lessons the professor saw how horribly tense I was. I got sick just by thinking about the car.

Once I passed, my family decided that I’d get over my fears by forcing me to drive, every single day, for weeks, with the whole family in the car, yelling, mocking me…

I had several panic attacks that were dismissed as lack of maturity, and I stopped driving. It’s been years.

But now I’m going to have to get better at this due to circumstances, and I’m scared.

I feel that I can’t focus on all the elements of the road, I have a very hard time calculating distances because I’m very short (edit: 1’50m, if that is relevant) and barely see above the wheel, I have to move the seat so close to the wheel that I fear that if one day the airbag jumps, I’ll suffocate. My blind spots seem infinite.

My car is automatic, so no stick to worry about.

If you have read all I wrote, I’ll greatly appreciate any advice or encouragement. Thank you

  • howler@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
    5·
    2 days ago

    Thank you for such a detailed and sweet answer. I feel a bit braver too!

    The height problem irks me a lot because I can’t buy a new car right now (or in the foreseable future, let’s be honest) and driving while using a cushion feels dangerous.

    • dustycups@aussie.zone
      3·
      2 days ago

      Not sure what the cushions are like where you are but firm is good - you don’t want to be moving around.
      I find that with seats the position creates a lot more comfort than the material/cushioning itself. If you have to stretch to see or reach anything your going to have a bad time.